Light of the Fireflies Part 1: Survival
by 321Haruko123
Summary: Separated from her family during an air raid, fourteen-year-old Yuki comes across the old bomb shelter where Seita and Setsuko have made their home. Now the three of them must try to survive in a war-torn world that seems to get bleaker by the day. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1: YUKI**

_**June 1945**__,_

It was late at night when the air raid sirens sounded. Although everyone had grown accustomed to hearing it time and again I still hated the fact that I would lose sleep. Nishinomiya had not had any serious bombings, not like the nearby Kobe or the distant Tokyo. But this night was to be different.

My little sisters Hisako and Kayoko woke up as I did and hurried as they put on their shirts and pants while Mother helped to fasten their protective hoods. After putting my own hood on I grabbed a photograph of my family as I always did when the siren sounded. It was the last picture taken of us all together, my Mother, Father and my two sisters and I. This way I would have a reminder of our happy lives before the war, even if our house burned to ashes.

"Yuki!" My mother called. "Stay close to your sisters and keep your eyes on them."

"Yes, Mother." I replied. As I was the oldest, it was my duty to protect my sisters and look out for them. Hisako was six, Kayoko was ten, and I had just turned fourteen.

"Air raid! Take shelter! Take shelter!" were the cries I heard. "Several waves of enemy bombers are approaching! Quickly! Take shelter!"

I was running with the rest of my family and neighbours when I suddenly heard a roaring sound that grew louder by the second, making me wonder if my ears could stand it. Eventually, it became the only thing audible. I looked up into the night sky and saw the B-29s. Sure, I had seen a few bombers before, but back then, I would only see one or two flying over. Now, there were hundreds of them, covering the whole sky.

I stared up in shock, not hearing my mother's cries to keep moving. The images of all those planes still haunt me even now, in these peaceful times. So is the sight of the raining fire that came afterward. In a matter of seconds, the rows of wooden houses were bursting into flame. The crackling of the fire was soon added to the other sounds of chaos; the screaming, the shouting, and the roaring of the planes above.

Once I had come to my senses (or as much as was possible), I began to run again, trying to keep up with my family. I could see them a ways ahead of me.

"_**Yuki!**_ Get over here now! _**Hurry!**_"

I tried to run as fast as I could, but suddenly my foot caught on a piece of wood and the next second I was on the ground. I continued to hear my family's cries. As I looked up, I saw that all the houses were coming apart, the flaming debris falling all around me. By the time I got up, I couldn't see or hear any other person. Nothing but the crackling flames. Nothing but Hell.

The way my mother and siblings had gone was completely blocked, so I couldn't go that way. Frantically looking for a way to escape, I saw a pathway where there wasn't as much fire and hurried down that way. I then began searching for a shortcut to where I could find my family.

The fires spread quickly, quicker than I ever thought. Most of the paths were blocked. I knew I wouldn't be able to find my mother and sisters for a while yet. I hoped they had made it to the shelter. I hoped they weren't somewhere burning to crisps like many of the bodies I passed by.

With those hopes and fears in my mind I finally made it from the neighbourhood to the woodsy area with a large pond. I knew that there was an old bomb shelter there that was a safe distance from the inferno, therefore there was little risk of suffocating.

I darted inside the tiny shelter and gave a startled jump when I saw someone was already there. I took a closer look and saw that a little girl was laying near the back of the shelter. Beside her was a boy about my age. When I saw that they were both asleep and in their underclothing I wondered if they were actually living here. Looking around the cave I saw a small stove, some clothing, a few buckets and other stuff that made me come to the conclusion that they were, in fact, living here.

Although I wanted so badly to get away from the sight of the bombings, I slowly backed out of the shelter, not wanting to disturb the sleeping children. I sat down nearby and began wiping the ashes off my protective hood. I wondered if Mother was alright. Were Kayoko and Hisako safely with her? Were they worrying about me?

I made up my mind that I would find them in the morning. For now, I would sit out here and rest. Despite the sounds of chaos coming from the burning town, I quickly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well guys, how are you liking it so far? Just letting you know this is my first fanfic, so I hope things will go well. I do not own the characters of Seita and Setsuko, or the original story. That credit goes to Akiyuki Nosaka and Isao Takahata. **

**Another note: The point of view switches back and forth between the characters for every chapter. Yuki narrated the last chapter and this chapter is in Seita's POV. The name of the character narrating is at the beginning of each chapter so (hopefully) you guys won't get confused.**

**Well, i think that's all i've got to say for now. One more word though... ENJOY!**

**CHAPTER 2: SEITA**

Tonight had been the first serious air raid over Nishinomiya. I fell asleep beside my sister in the shelter, remembering events that had occurred a few weeks ago. On June 5th we lost our mother during an air raid that had destroyed 11 square kilometres of Kobe. Now, Nishinomiya was suffering a similar fate.

After Mother died, Setsuko and I went to live at a distant aunt's house. As time went by, she made it clear that she didn't want to be burdened by two extra mouths to feed. Therefore, we left with the little belongings we had and came to live in the abandoned bomb shelter by the pond.

I woke up in the middle of the night, by the time the raid had come to an end. Since I had to go to the bathroom I stood up and slowly crept out of the shelter, for Setsuko was sleeping peacefully and it would be a shame if she was disturbed. I looked in the direction of the town as I headed to the nearby bushes. The sky was red from the fire's light, and smoke was rising to the skies above.

After doing my business I headed back to the shelter and noticed something I hadn't seen on the way out. A human figure was lying near the entrance to the shelter. My first instinct was, of course, to protect my sister. I didn't want anyone around that could harm her. I walked over to the figure and gave it a light nudge with my foot. The figure groggily woke up and looked at me.

"Hey, you. What do you think you're doing here?" I asked.

"I-I'm sorry." The girl stammered. "I didn't mean to intrude. I-It's just that m-my home was burned. Over-over there." She pointed to the direction of the town and then began bowing to me. "I was only wan-wanting to stay for the n-n-night. Then, I was going to g-go look for my family. We were separated. Please forgive me! I'm so sorry! I'll leave right away."

"No." I told her. " You can stay and rest for the night if you like. As long as you don't come near my sister." Because I had been in a similar situation, I felt a little sorry for her. I saw that she was my age too. Even so, I was going to make sure Setsuko was safe. In hard times like these one couldn't trust anyone, no matter who they were. I wasn't taking any risks.

"Nii-chan..." said a small voice behind me. "I have to pee..."

I turned around to see Setsuko. My sister was looking sleepy. She was wearing her shirt and diaper, for she didn't have any proper nightclothes, and she had the bowl-cut hairstyle that most little girls her age wore. I took her by the hand and led her towards the bushes I had come from. Then she looked over her shoulder.

"Nii-chan, who's that? Did her home burn too?"

"Probably. She's staying out here for tonight. She'll leave in the morning to look for her family."

"Ohhh..."

After Setsuko had gone to the bathroom, she walked over to the figure who was still awake and said hello to her. The girl lifted her head and smiled faintly.

"I'm Setsuko, and that's my big brother Seita. What about you? What's _**your**_ name, huh?"

"My name's Sasaki Yuki. It is nice to meet you Setsuko."

"You look cold, maybe you can come in the shelter. Nii-chan! Can Yuki come inside?"

I gave a small groan. I just _**knew**_ my sister was going to ask me that.

"Setsuko, come inside. I think she would prefer to be left alone."

"Oh, no, I don't mind her." Said Yuki. "She actually cheered me up. Setsuko, I think you'd better go inside. I'll be fine out here."

"Okay..." Setsuko followed me into the shelter. Then she looked over her shoulder and waved. "Goodnight Yuki..."

"Night-night Setsuko"


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: YUKI**

It was very nice meeting that little girl named Setsuko. I spoke the truth when I said she cheered me up. Talking with her for those few seconds made me forget all the things happening. She reminded me of Hisako and Kayoko when they were that age. This time when I went to sleep, my dreams really were sweet.

I woke up shivering the next morning. The sky was grey with clouds and it looked like it was about to rain. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was not in my home, but in front of an old bomb shelter. I looked inside and saw Seita putting on his coat and hat. Setsuko was just waking up. She looked at me and smiled brightly.

"Ah. Good morning Yuki! Did you sleep well?"

I laughed for the first time in a while. She was so cute and adorable! "Yes, Setsuko. I did have a nice rest. Arigatou."

Seita had now put his army-like boots on and came out of the shelter. "Um, it's Yuki, right?"

"Yes, it is." I said.

"Listen, did you say something last night about you living in that direction?" He pointed to the South-Western part of Nishinomiya. I told him I did.

"I'll go see how much damage has been done."

"Wait! I'm coming too!"

"Me too! Nii-chan! Yuki! Wait!"

I ran after Seita, with Setsuko not far behind me. I could already see from where I was that there was heavy damage, and I prepared myself for what I might see. When I heard Setsuko calling for us, I stopped so she could catch up. Then I picked her up and continued following Seita. We finally came to a road and I saw what had been done to my home.

It was just awful. Piles of burnt wood and rubble lay where rows of houses used to be. Smoke was still rising from some places. This was how it looked as far as I could see. Some people were scavenging for anything they could find from the remains of their homes. I thought I would do the same.

My home - or what used to be - was somewhere along this road. Because there was nothing but rubble everywhere, I was difficult to find. When I was sure I had found it, I put Setsuko down and gently lifted some boards of wood. I saw the remains of objects I found familiar; a set of plates and cups - broken, Hisako's doll - burnt. Almost everything I had known for my whole life - gone.

"Now your home's gone too." Said Setsuko. "What will you do now?"

"Well Setsuko, I'm going to find my family. My mother and two sisters."

Things were silent for a minute. During this time I started to worry again. Where was Mother? Where were Hisako and Kayoko? What would I do if I couldn't find them?

"If you can't find them today, you can stay with us for tonight as well."

I was surprised when Seita said this to me. Perhaps I had spoken my thoughts aloud. I was also surprised at how generous this pair of siblings was. I wasn't sure if the boy really trusted me, but Setsuko was very happy with her brother.

"Really! She can stay Nii-chan?"

"Well, if she can't find her family. But remember, that's only if she wants to." After talking to his sister, Seita turned to me. "You go and see if you can find anything. If you can't, just come back to the shelter. I know for sure Setsuko would like the company. Good luck."

He gave me a formal salute and turned back in the direction of the shelter with Setsuko on his back. I lowered my head in a bow until they had gone off the road and down the hill towards their makeshift home. Then I turned around and headed in the direction of the shelter our family regularly used, hoping they might be there.

I passed by whole neighbourhoods of ruins. Of the many people I saw, none of them was my mother. There were the occasional bodies I walked over as well. I looked at each of them, seeing if I could identify any of them. Some were nothing but black _**things**_that didn't look like they were once human beings like me. Nowadays, smelling things like fish make me think of the awful smell those bodies produced. Like burnt flesh. _**Human**_ flesh.

All day I searched, asking around. The reply was always the same: They hadn't seen my mother nor my poor little sisters. I told myself that they were clever and had hid somewhere, much like how Seita and Setsuko were living in that shelter.

_**They're probably safe and sound and worried sick about me. Hisako will be asking 'Where is Nee-chan?' Kayoko will be telling her that I'm okay. Mother will have her arms around them both, saying that things will get better and that we'll all be together again.**_

I gave up my search for the day. With the sun slowly sinking into the horizon, I traced my steps back to where Seita and Setsuko lived. I was determined to find my family if it took a hundred years to do so. I was also grateful to this pair of siblings who were willing to help, especially little Setsuko.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: SEITA**

Yuki arrived at the pond by the time the sun had gone down, her search in vain. She was obviously exhausted, but she brought a small amount of food that had been dug up from her backyard. We shared the food, careful to save some of it along with our own food in case of future emergencies.

Although Setsuko was happy that her new friend had come back, she was also sad that she had not found her mother. I could tell that my little sister was thinking about our own mother. I also thought of her; how kind and caring she was to the two of us. She had tried her best to take care of us after Father had left for the Navy, despite her heart problems. She didn't deserve the terrible pain she had suffered during the last hours of her life.

The three of us spent the night talking and getting to know each other. The last person Setsuko and I had really spoken to before Yuki was our aunt, and every time _**she**_ talked, it was full of criticism. Because of this, we were both thankful to have Yuki with us. Setsuko would have another girl around to play with, and I would be able to talk to someone my age.

"My father's name is Yokokawa Kyoshi. He's a colonel of the Maya in the Imperial Fleet." I told Yuki. " What about your father? What does he do?"

"My father was in the infantry. He died a year ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But don't worry. He died for the sake of Japan and Emperor Hirohito."

"So how did you and Setsuko come to be here?" I could tell Yuki wanted to change the subject so I went along with it. I explained to her about the loss of our mother during the June 5th raid and going to our aunt's place.

"Setsuko and I stayed with her for a few weeks," I continued, "but she was very cold-hearted towards us. Isn't that right Setsuko? You didn't like living with her, did you?"

A few tears began to show in Setsuko's eyes. "I _**hated**_ living with her. She was mean to us. She even took away Mommy's kimonos..." She hung her head down and continued crying. I picked her up and held her. I continued to tell Yuki of how we eventually left our aunt and had come to live here.

After I had finished, Setsuko wiped away her tears and cried out, "Look Nii-chan! Fireflies!" All three of us turned to look outside and saw that the fireflies had, indeed, come out tonight. Setsuko jumped out of my arms and scrambled out of the shelter with all sadness forgotten. She ran joyfully all over the place, screaming happily as she tried to catch the glowing insects as I had taught her. She finally managed to catch one - without squishing it.

"Nii-chan! Yuki! Did you see that? I caught one!" Setsuko quickly ran back to us and showed us her catch. The firefly flew around the shelter. It flickered in the gloomy darkness until it found its way outside and went back to its own kind. If only we could be reunited with our families as well.

"Good for you Setsuko." I said. "Hey! How about we all go catch some? Are you up for it Yuki?"

Yuki nodded and smiled. She stood up and we both followed my energetic sister out of the shelter. As the three of us caught fireflies we continued to talk, but this time we talked of happy things. Yuki told us of her life with her two sisters, who were named Kayoko and Hisako. Setsuko talked of all the times I took her to places and of all the adventures we had together. I mainly talked about my job at the steelworks before it was bombed, and all the pranks my friends and I played on unsuspecting classmates.

"One time when I was eight years old," I said, "my best friend Isao and I found out that another friend, Shinji, had a crush on a girl from the class across the hall from us. It was obvious that he liked her very much." I smiled. "Poor Shinji... I knew he would be too shy to do or say anything, so I told him that Isao and I would be happy to help him."

I gave a chuckle. It had been a long time since I recalled that memory.

"Where was I, Nii-chan?" Setsuko asked.

"That was a long time, Setsuko." I replied. "Waayyy before you were born."

"So did you and Isao help your friend?" Yuki asked. "I can't be completely sure with you laughing like that!"

"Oh, we helped him alright!" I laughed. "We told Shinji we would buy a tin of candies and give them to the girl saying it was from him. Now did we actually do that? Well, yes and no. You see, We _**did **_get the candy tin and gave it to her. It's just-"

I broke into another fit of laughter. The best detail was yet to come. "It's just that Isao and I _**ate**_ all the candies. Then we found some nice-sized bugs, put them into in the tin and _**then**_ we gave it to her, telling her it was from Shinji just as we had promised!"

That was when we all broke into fits of laughter. I hadn't laughed so hard in years. "But then," I continued, "everything backfired. The girl was _**furious**_! She told our teacher what Shinji supposedly did and that he should be punished. That's when Isao and I felt guilty and admitted to the deed and... well, let's just say that we had sore hands for the rest of the day. And when we got home we got sore butts from our fathers!"

While telling my little misadventure to Yuki and Setsuko, I felt cheerful. It was as if I was that mischievous eight-year-old all over again. As the three of us went back into the shelter, we felt so high-spirited, that one would find it hard to believe that we had been through so much pain and suffering, caused by a war we did not start.

For some reason, as Yuki, Setsuko and I layed down to go to sleep, I thought of our guest. Although Setsuko and I had only known her for a day, I could already tell. Even now, I don't know why I thought this, but what I did know, was that my little sister and I had both found a lifelong friend in Sasaki Yuki.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: YUKI **

That night was a rather nice one. Spending time with Seita and Setsuko made me forget about the problems with finding my mother. Even so, I knew that I would look for them again this morning. Surely I would find Mother with Kayoko and Hisako today.

When I woke up, I saw that my new friends weren't in the shelter. I walked outside and saw Seita using his small stove to cook some rice and whatever else was available. Setsuko was kneeling beside a small mound of dirt. There was what looked like a fruit drop tin sticking out of the mound and it was surrounded by little pinecones. Setsuko was putting some flowers and makeshift food beside it.

"What is that Setsuko?" I asked.

"It's a grave. I'm giving an offering." Was the reply.

"A grave?"

"Yep. A grave for the fireflies. Nii-chan and me caught fireflies a few nights ago. They all died so I made a grave for them. My Mommy's in a grave, too, and Nii-chan says he's gonna take me to visit it with him. But he hasn't yet..."

After Setsuko's speech, I felt a bunch of different feelings at once. It was very sweet of the 4-year-old girl to be so compassionate. If only everyone else could be like that. She also mentioned her mother being dead. How horrible for a little girl like her to have no mother!

Suddenly I thought of my own mother. I hadn't seen her in nearly two days. What if she was dead too? What about my sisters? If they were alright, wouldn't I have seen them by now? _**No**_, I thought. _**Many people talk of being reunited with family after being separated for weeks! Besides, we wouldn't know where to look for each other, so I could have missed them. I'll just have to keep looking. I **_will_** find them eventually!**_

I left the shelter and the pond to look for them. This time, Seita and Setsuko joined me, for they had to trade some of their things for food. We stopped by the ruins where my house once stood, and Seita helped me to carry the supplies of food that had been buried there. Then he traded some of his things for more food. All the while I searched for Mother. I didn't see a glimpse of neither her nor of Hisako or Kayoko.

Once again, the search was in vain. Although I was still determined, my hope began to fade. I continued to stay with the pair of siblings. Within a week, I had grown close to the two, especially Setsuko. Although Seita was my age, I sometimes treated him like I was his mother. He eventually came to trust me, even if he was annoyed by my bossing him around at times.

My hope continued to fade with each passing day. Every night I would take out my family portrait and examine it. Mother stood beside Father, wearing her best kimono. Father had a gentle smile on his face - the same smile that Mother said I had, as well as his eyes. Kayoko, Hisako and I stood in front of our parents. The three of us wore our school clothes, for we couldn't afford more kimonos. In fact, not long after the photo was taken, Mother had to trade her own kimono for food. I felt happy and sad at the same time looking at that photo. Happy because we were all together back then, but sad because it would never be that way again.

Eventually, the little food that was shared among the three of us began to run out. That was when we resorted to stealing. By now, I believe it was somewhere between early to mid July. The air raids on the towns continued. Whenever the air raid sirens sounded at night, Seita would immediately spring up, put on his clothes and run outside and towards the town. Hours later, he would come back with food or a few kimonos to trade. We all knew it was wrong to steal, but what else could we do to survive?


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: SEITA**

Nearly two weeks had passed since Yuki had joined us. When food became more scarce than before, I searched all day for something for the three of us to eat. Setsuko was glad to have a playmate with her while I was away. While I did this, I carried Yuki's family photograph. This was so that if I happened to run into one of her family members I would recognize them. There was little success in both searches. I would end up stealing crops from fields or rice from houses during air raids.

Once in a while Yuki would come along to help me. I noticed that she had lost almost all hope in finding her mother. Seeing this made me feel sorry for her. We both knew that it was very likely that all her immediate family were dead. I knew what that was like. Setsuko and I didn't have much family left either - Father was in the war, our aunt didn't treat us well, and I didn't know how to contact our distant family in Tokyo. By now I had come to rely on the hope that Dad would come home eventually and sort things out.

I had decided that Yuki could stay with us as long as she liked, if she contributed by looking after Setsuko or getting food. This made me realize some of the mistakes I had made while staying with my aunt. I had just stayed home, with looking after Setsuko as my excuse for not contributing to the war effort. Nevertheless, I wasn't about to go crawling back to her and beg forgiveness. Sure, I might have deserved less food than the others, but that didn't mean my little sister deserved it as well. Besides, I thought, the war might be over soon. Dad will come home and everything will be alright.

It turned out that I wasn't the only one with high hopes. Yuki, though hope of finding her mother was almost distinguished, still planned on finding other relatives. She brought this up on yet another of our quests to find food.

"Does this mean you've given up on finding your mother and sisters?" I asked her.

"Well... I'm not sure..." Yuki answered. "I want to keep looking for them, but I also know that they could be dead. I think I should come up with a plan. That way, if I don't find my family, I will be prepared to look after myself."

"What kind of plan do you have in mind?"

"Well, I'll think of all the towns where distant relatives live and see if I could stay with them. I know of a cousin of my Father's who lived in Tokyo, but it's so far to get there. Besides, there's more damage from the bombs there than there is here."

"Yes." I said. "I have relatives in Tokyo on my Mother's side, but I don't know how to contact them."

Yuki walked towards another pile of debris and picked up a container with some food in it. When she saw that the food was covered with maggots, she quickly brushed them all away. "I remember my father saying we had distant relatives somewhere in Yamaguchi..."

"So... Are you actually serious about this? The distance between here and Yamaguchi is even farther between here and Tokyo... And you'd need money for the train fare."

"Yeah, I know." Said Yuki. "I probably can't afford to go anywhere. But it was just an idea..."

Saying this, Yuki continued to brush maggots off the food. I lifted up a board of wood, revealing two half-charred bodies, also crawling with maggots. At this sight combined with the awful smell, we both began to vomit, therefore leaving our stomachs with even less food. Even though sights and smells like this were common during this time, one could never get used to it. We didn't know whether the food was good to eat, but where could we find anything better?


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7: YUKI**

For days, the stealing continued. One night when the air raid sirens sounded, Seita set out to get another loot of food and tradable items. On that particular night, Setsuko couldn't sleep, so we both watched as the firebombs came out of the B-29s and dropped to the ground below.

"They're really scary, but they look like fireworks from over here." Setsuko said.

"Yes," I agreed. "They are really pretty from here, but you are also right when you say they are scary, Setsuko... There seems to be much more planes than usual..."

When Setsuko had mentioned fireworks, it made me remember a scene from happier times. It was during a festival in 1940. My whole family was having snacks and sitting on a bench watching the pretty fireworks. Kayoko was around Setsuko's current age, and Hisako was just a baby. Both were fascinated by the bright display that took place above us. I remembered both my Mother and my Father smiling at us kindly, but that was about it. I came back down to earth when Setsuko spoke again.

"Yuki, where's Nii-chan...?"

"Why, he's getting something for us to eat. Don't worry. Your brother will be back soon..."

Eventually, despite her determination to wait for her brother, Setsuko fell asleep. I kept watch outside the shelter for when Seita came back. All night the bombs kept dropping and everything glowed with fire. I wondered how it could be possible that there was still anything left. After a few hours, I crawled back into the shelter, for Seita had not yet come back and I needed to get some sleep. Naturally, I began to worry about my friend. He was usually back by this time. I then convinced myself that he had found a shelter and would come back in the morning. That was when I fell asleep.

A few hours later, I woke up from my sleep simultaneously to the sun rising. I looked on my one side and saw Setsuko still fast asleep. This was normal. Then I rolled over and looked to my other side. Just an empty space, which was not normal at all. I got up and quietly walked out of the shelter. The raid had ended while I was sleeping, and once again, smoke rose up to the sky. And Seita had still not come back. My worries began again, and then they increased when I heard Setsuko waking up.

"Nii-chan...? Where are you, Nii-chan..?" Setsuko sleepily called for her brother as she came slowly out of the shelter. "Yuki, has Nii-chan come back yet?"

"No..." I didn't know what to tell her, but then I said, "But I'm going to go look for him."

After telling Setsuko to behave herself while I was gone, I set out to find Seita. Hopefully I would meet him as he would be heading back home. I passed by a few dead bodies, some of them had little sacks of food beside them. Any food that wasn't burnt or crawling with maggots I took, thanking the spirits for saving something for my friends and I to eat. I continued on past the charred remains with no sign of Seita. Therefore I decided to head back home, but in a different direction.

By now I was walking on a road on the outskirts of the town that was surrounded by rice fields. Even here there were a few bodies, for they were the victims of an enemy plane strafing. I had seen many horrible things in the past few weeks, so I didn't pay much attention to the various corpses - until I noticed one particular body out of the corner of my eye. From a distance, I could tell that it was the lifeless body of a boy my age. A boy my age that wore army-style clothing and had a familiar body shape. Beside him was a bag with its contents spilled onto the dirt. When I looked closer, I saw that it was a bag full of rice...

"Oh no..." I said quietly to myself. "It can't be... Don't tell me that's him..."

I walked slowly and cautiously towards the body with tears threatening to fall out. Preparing myself for the worse, I turned over the body. It had been lying in a pool of its own blood and innards, and it covered the boy's face. I was about to muster up my courage and wipe it off when I noticed the body's identification patch was still partially visible. I looked closely and read it. I managed to make out the following:

TANAKA TOSHIO

BLOOD TYPE: A

ADDRE-

Even though some of the writing was cut off, there was enough for me to know that this wasn't Seita. I gave a sigh of relief as I lied down on the grass beside the road. After I had calmed down, I went back to the body and picked up the bag that was beside him, saving what wasn't spilled. Then I kneeled down in prayer.

"Well Toshio," I said. "I hope you and the other victims are at peace now. I also hope you don't mind if I take your rice. I have some friends who need this. Arigatou..."

I bowed once more and stood up. Then I continued to head back home. The sun was high in the sky when I arrived. I turned the corner to see Setsuko laughing happily as Seita, safe and sound, carried her on his back. It turns out that he had, in fact, took shelter for the night. He began to apologize for a) making us worry and b) not managing to bring back any food. We ended up eating the rice I had brought back. After that, I decided that I would help Seita whenever we went in search for food.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

**Man, that was a relief that Seita was okay! But what is going to happen to this trio? Do you think Yuki will find her family? Is there going to be a happy ending, or will it be as tragic as the original? Well, there's only one way to find out... KEEP READING! Oh, and enjoy it too. **


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8: SEITA**

The night was quiet and dark. The only sounds you could hear were the croaking of bullfrogs, the distant chirping of crickets, and the sounds of crops being torn from the ground. As she had promised, Yuki had come to help me with finding food. We had been pretty successful for the past few days and since there hadn't been too many air raids we resorted to stealing crops at nighttime.

"Okay," I said. "I'll go get some sugar over there and you get some potatoes over there. That way we can have a bit more variety in our meals..."

I made a small chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit. Whether I was successful, I still don't know. Yuki headed over to the potato patch and began picking while I kneeled down by the sugar patch. We continued on like this for fifteen minutes. The moon came out from behind a cloud and lit up the area. Fireflies glowed in the distance. If Mother was still alive and our house still standing, she would have called Setsuko and I over to admire the beautiful night. I smiled to myself, remembering tons of nice memories like this one. After the fifteen minutes had passed, Yuki came over with my bag, which was filled with potatoes.

"Would you say this is enough, Seita?" Yuki asked. "This should be enough to last us a while... What do you think?"

"I think it's a good amount. Especially when combined with what I've got."

We then silently began to fill the rest of my bag with my loot. When the bag became too full, I took off my shirt and we used that. I felt glad that we were able to get enough food to last all three of us for a while. At this rate we wouldn't have to spend to much of my mother's bank money. I could tell Yuki was relieved too. For the first time in a while, the mood was happy. But that happy mood faded to darkness as a light from a nearby house came on.

"HEY!" a voice called. "What's going on out there?"

Both Yuki and I looked up to see a tall figure running from the house towards us. I knew that this figure was the same farmer I had bought crops from earlier. He continued to curse at us as he waved his flashlight around. Grabbing my shirt/bag in one hand and Yuki's arm in the other I ran as fast as I could, not caring whether I hurt my feet on the rocks and leaves. Despite not looking back I could hear him as he chased us. Then he turned on his flashlight.

"_**You**_!" the farmer shouted. "So _**you're**_ the one who's been stealing around here! How dare you steal from me after all my kindness to you!"

The farmer's shouts echoed in my mind. He continued to shout about many things; like how a son of a Navy man should not act in this manner, how disgraceful I was to my family and my nation, how my actions were sure to send me to Hell. I knew that was where he was wrong. I was already living in Hell, as everyone else was ever since the war began. As for everything else he had said, it made me think back to my aunt's words. She had also told me I was a disgrace to the Empire of Japan for not contributing to the war effort. Well, I thought, my family comes before anything else. I have to risk everything to feed them.

"Seita!" Yuki shouted. "The food is spilling from your shirt!" I turned around and saw that she was right. Nearly half of its contents were gone. But I couldn't do anything about it with my hands full and with the farmer still in pursuit.

After a few minutes the farmer got tired of chasing us and came to a halt. Yuki and I continued to run, still hearing the farmer's curses. By the time we got back home, the contents of my shirt/bag was almost nothing. I collapsed by the entrance of the shelter, panting. Yuki did the same and checked on how much food was left. It wasn't much, but it would last us at least two days if we kept our meals small.

Setsuko was still sleeping peacefully near the back of the cave, clutching her doll to her chest. When I looked closer, I saw she had a faint smile on her face. I hoped she was having sweet dreams despite the hard times she had been through for the past month...

_**No... **_I realised. _**My little sister has been through hard times her whole life! She was born just before the war began... When I really think about it, I realise she probably doesn't know what true peace is! Well... I'm her big brother. It's my duty to protect her from the dangers around her. I WILL make sure she know what it's like to live in times of peace. It's just a matter of us getting through the war... ALL of us. Setsuko... Me... Even Yuki...**_

After a few minutes I fell asleep. For the first time in a while, I dreamed. In my dream I saw my mother, smiling as she watched Setsuko draw a picture in the living room. Food was cooking on the oven. Father was reading the newspaper in his study. I looked up in the sky and saw puffy white clouds and birds flying. I closed my eyes and breathed heavily, taking it all in.

Then I smelled smoke. Coughing, I looked up again at the sky. It had turned red and the clouds turned to black smoke. The birds became B-29s and began to drop firebombs everywhere. The house burst into flames, and I saw my family desperately trying to get out, but couldn't. Then came the screaming.

"SEITA! HELP US! SETSUKO! WHERE ARE YOU!"

"MOMMY! DADDY! HELP! I'M SCARED! NII-CHAN! WHERE ARE YOU? NII-CHAN! _**NII-CHAAAAAAN!**_"

I couldn't take it any more. I screamed as I charged towards the house, calling my sister's name. I saw her silhouette though the flames and I reached for it. Then there was a bright flash of light, and then a large bang that flung me through the air, right into a pile of flaming debris...

I woke up with a gasp, panting hard. Looking around I realised it was all a dream. Then I quietly walked out of the shelter and crouched down where no one would see me cry...


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9: YUKI**

I woke up with a start and quickly looked around. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness I realised I was laying in the shelter and everything was fine. It was just a bad dream. In my dream I had seen my mother and sisters during the air raid. I could only watch as a bomb had exploded in front of them. There was nothing I could do to help them.

Once I calmed down, I looked outside the shelter. I could tell from the orange light that the sun was coming up. Then I noticed that Seita laying by the pond, curled up in a ball. After quickly looking behind me to see if Setsuko was alright, I went outside. I walked up to my friend and gently nudged him.

"Seita...?" I whispered. "You okay?" No response. I nudged him a little harder, trying to get even a small response.

"Mother..." Seita mumbled. "Se... Setsuko..."

Now that I was sure Seita was alright, I decided not to bother him any longer. But I wasn't in the mood to go back to sleep. To pass the time I wandered around the area for a half hour, checking to see if there might be any edible berries around. The sun was now visible. Its rays seeped through the trees and onto green leaves, making the morning look beautiful.

When I got back, it was around the normal time for waking up, so I began to cook some breakfast for everyone. I filled each bowl equally, yet was careful with how much I used in case we somehow couldn't get more later. Once I was done, I sat back down near the entrance to the shelter. I stared at the food. I was so hungry. I hadn't eaten a decent amount of food for days, but I promised myself that I would only eat when the others did.

Thankfully I didn't have to wait very long because Seita eventually woke up and so did Setsuko. As we ate, Seita made a suggestion that we should all go somewhere today. When we weren't getting food, he and I hung around here. And Setsuko almost never left the pond area. It would be nice if we went out and had fun for a change. It might even lift up our spirits a bit.

"We can go somewhere today? Really?" Setsuko exclaimed. She jumped up and down in her excitement. "Where would we go Nii-chan, Huh?"

"Well, Setsuko, the choice is yours." Seita smiled. "Where would _**you**_ like to go? There's the town, the woods, the beach, the tr-"

"_**The beach! The beach!**_ Can we really go to the beach Nii-chan?"

"Well, didn't I say the choice was yours?"

"_**Yay! Yay!**_ We're going to the beach!"

I smiled as I watched the 4-year-old in her rejoicing. She was so adorable! She laughed and cheered all the way to the beach. Once we were there the three of us made sandcastles and Seita even taught Setsuko one or two things about swimming. It was definitely some great fun for a while. One could forget the hard times for a bit and just relax.

Remembering a happy memory with my family, I reached in my pocket for my photograph, only to feel nothing. I felt a pang of sadness as I remembered that it had been lost a few days ago. I had cried when I noticed it was missing, because, after all, it was the last photo of my whole family together. Now I decided I shouldn't let that sadness get to me now, for it was very nice to see my friends having fun and I should too.

The fun and games continued for an hour or so when suddenly the sirens began to sound. Everyone who had come to the beach that day began to head to their homes and shelters. Although Setsuko was obviously disappointed that her playtime was over, she understood completely that we needed to get home as quickly as possible. With that, we put our clothes back on and left the beach.

Quickly walking through the streets, we passed many people heading to shelters. The sirens continued to sound as air raid wardens ushered the crowds. Setsuko rode on Seita's back while I walked beside them. Since it would be a while before getting home, Seita suggested we take the roads on the outskirts of town. It wouldn't be so crowded either.

The three of us headed down a road that was surrounded by crop fields. I looked into the distance and saw the planes. Seita and the others on the road noticed them as well. There were quite a few of them and they were so fast. The roaring of their engines grew louder.

"Come on! Hurry!" Seita said as he began to run.

I began to run after him. The planes came closer and the roaring got even louder. The people ran faster. When I looked behind me, I saw the first wave of bombers fly past us and drop their cargo on Nishinomiya. Not long after that came a second wave. Suddenly one of the planes made a sharp turn to the left - in our direction. People began darting for the ditches on both sides of the road. Both Seita and Setsuko had dived into a ditch and began calling me.

"_**Get over here, Yuki! Quickly!**_"

"_**Hurry Yuki! Run!**_"

I darted in their direction. I now heard the roaring noise at its loudest. Then I heard the sound of bullets firing. At that exact second I looked behind me to see people abruptly dropping to the ground, hit by bullets. Suddenly I felt a horrible pain in my leg. The next thing I knew I was falling as well. In that split second I saw and heard many things. I saw Seita curled up in the ditch, Setsuko watching me with a horrifying look while screaming. I also heard the screams of other people, some of them falling to the ground like I was. After that split second had gone by, I finally hit the hard ground and everything became black...


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10: SEITA**

I held onto Setsuko as we ducked down in the ditch. Then I heard Setsuko scream Yuki's name. I looked up to see her lying motionless on the road, along with about ten or twelve other people. She was bleeding from one of her legs. I felt all the colour drain from my face. This couldn't be happening! Yuki couldn't be...

"YUKI!" Setsuko screamed. "NII-CHAN, HELP! YUKI'S HURT!"

She frantically wriggled out of my arms and began to run onto the road. At that instant the roaring of the plane got louder again. I lunged towards my sister and dragged her back into the ditch. She struggled in my arms, begging me to let her go. I held onto her fast. There were more screams as the bullets fired and more people fell to the ground.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. The sounds that could be heard were the cries of help from the wounded, the sobbing of the victims' loved ones, and the explosions of the distant bombing. Yuki still didn't move though. When I was sure it was safe, I loosened my grip on Setsuko. Telling her to stay where she was, I slowly walked towards my friend. I gently shook her. She faintly moaned. Both Setsuko and I breathed sighs of relief.

Yuki was alive, but that didn't mean she was completely okay. Her leg was still bleeding. The bullet hadn't actually hit her, though. If it had, her leg could have been taken off. Instead the bullet landed beside her, causing the sharp rocks to cut her. Even so, she was much luckier than the others who were hit. I wouldn't even want to go into detail about how the various corpses looked.

"Nii-chan...?" Setsuko said quietly. "What are we going to do now?"

"Well," I replied. "First we should clean up her wound, then give her some bandages - I can buy some - and then I guess we'll bring her home..."

"Is she going to die, Nii-chan?"

"Setsuko! What do you... Of course not! She'll be just fine!"

"But you said Mommy was okay too... And then she died..."

"Setsuko...!" I tried to hold back tears. My poor little sister... She was so young. Too young to think like that. War can change things in an instant. It can also take things away. Like family... and innocence...

"Th- That's enough of that kind of talk. We have take care of Yuki now. Here..." I gave Setsuko one of the pieces of cloth that was used for leggings. "See that pond? Go soak that cloth in there and come back quickly."

Setsuko did as I asked and soon I had cleaned as much blood as I could. Then I took my second piece of cloth and wrapped it around Yuki's leg as a temporary bandage. After that I carefully picked her up into my arms. Then Setsuko and I slowly walked home. I had only ever carried Setsuko, so I wasn't used to carrying someone my age with a similar weight. Therefore, I was especially careful. Once we got home, I set her down inside. Making sure the girls would be okay for a few minutes I left to buy some bandages.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11: YUKI**

I slowly opened my eyes and blinked a few times. Everything was blurry. Where was I? Suddenly I felt a pain in my right leg. I sat up and looked at it. When I saw the makeshift bandage I remembered what had happened. I remembered that Seita, Setsuko and I were coming home and there was a strafing. When I saw that I was in the shelter I realized that they must have brought me home. But where were they?

"Ah!" Setsuko's voice cried. She ran into the shelter and hugged me. "Yuki, you're awake! I'm so happy! Is your leg okay? Does it hurt bad? Huh?"

"It just stings a little bit, Setsuko. Thank-you for asking. Where is your brother?"

"He went out to get some bandages for you. I bet he'll be glad that you're okay. He was worried too."

I simply smiled as Setsuko talked. Then I told her she could play around outside until Seita came back, as long as she didn't go far. The 4-year-old, with her imagination, found many ways to entertain herself. She would play on the swing Seita had made her. She drew a hopscotch course in the dirt and would be occupied with that. Sometimes she would find wildflowers and place them on her grave for the fireflies. One time I looked out to see her sitting by the pond, shaking her arm up and down.

"What are you doing, Setsuko?" I asked.

"I'm trying to play rock-paper-scissors." Came the reply.

"With whom?"

"My reflection. But it isn't working..."

"Oh, Setsuko!" I laughed. "Come here! I'll play with you! It's my leg that's hurt, not my arm!"

For the next few minutes we played rock-paper-scissors. Then we played I-Spy and guessing games. I was happy Setsuko was enjoying herself, but I noticed that she looked different. She was getting thinner and her hair was messier. When I combed it, it was full of bugs. I decided that when supper time came, she could have my share of food.

I hated myself. Why did my leg have to be hurt? If it hadn't happened, I would have been able to help Seita get more food. I should have run faster back then. Now I couldn't even get up. I had tried to, but my leg hurt terribly. Why me? Maybe I deserved to be a cripple...

The sun began to set in the sky. Seita soon came back as promised with bandages and a little food. As I took off Seita's cloth and replaced it with the bandage, I saw what the wound looked like. I put the bandage on as fast I could so I could try to ignore it. When supper came, I gave my share of food to Setsuko, despite protests from both of them. I told them it was just for one night. After they had finished their small meals, we all settled down to sleep for the night.

But sleep would not come so quickly tonight. Setsuko began to cry for the first time in a while. She wasn't feeling well, and she was missing her mother badly. She wouldn't tell us exactly _**what**_ was making her feel unwell, only that she missed her mommy. Both Seita and I tried to calm her down, but with no success. Then Seita ran outside, saying he would be back in five minutes, leaving me alone with the crying child.

In an attempt to calm her down, I began to sing her a song. It was a lullaby my mother had made up herself. She had sung it to me as a young child, then to Kayoko and Hisako. I had decided that when I had children of my own, I would sing it to them. And since Setsuko had become much like a sister or daughter to me, I sang the following to her:

Don't cry, my child, your mother is here,

Don't cry, now wipe all your tears.

Have sweet thoughts as you're dreaming tonight,

I shall be here for you.

Be strong, my child, chin-up and be brave,

And then, you'll have nothing to fear.

Everything will be alright,

I shall be here for you.

Your father and I know that time will fly,

As the years go by you will grow!

You'll ne'er be alone, and perhaps when you're grown,

You will have a family of your own.

Setsuko began to calm down, though the tears were still coming. Seita stood at the entrance to the shelter, listening to my singing. He was holding a container that was left outside. I stopped singing and told him he could come in. He kneeled down with the container and smiled.

"Shhh..." Seita cooed. "Don't cry! Come on! Show me a pretty smile!" Setsuko smiled faintly. "Well come over here! I've got something to show you!"

"What is it, Nii-chan?"

"You've got to come over here to see it." Seita said. Setsuko nodded and crawled out of my lap. She kneeled down in front of her brother. He then said, "Alright. On three! One... Two... Three...!"

Seita slowly opened the container. A little glow was coming from it. Then a couple of bugs flew out of the container, and then some more. They were fireflies. Each one of them glowed, some faintly, some brightly. They illuminated the dark cave, making everything bright. They were very beautiful. Setsuko finally smiled a huge smile as she watched them.

"They're so pretty! Nii-chan, Yuki, arigatou! Ookini!"

Seita and I looked at each other, then back at Setsuko and smiled. She was happy again. Maybe now we could all have a nice, quiet sleep. We all lied on our backs and looked up at the fireflies. It looked as if the stars had decided to visit our little shelter and take away the gloominess. Eventually, Setsuko started yawning again, so I started to sing the last few verses of my song. The fireflies seemed to twinkle in time to the lyrics:

Sleep now, my child, just close your small eyes,

Sleep now, and begin to dream.

Dream 'til dawn of a future so bright,

I shall be here for you.

I'll always be here for you, my child!

Always and forevermore...

Long after we had all gone to sleep, the fireflies continued to glow until first light.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12: SEITA**

It was now late July. As the days went by, Yuki seemed to be doing fine. She could now stand on her own. She told me her leg still hurt, but she would put up with it. As for our food, that was a different story. We had run out of the crops Yuki and I had stolen that one night, and I hadn't been able to get much. At this point I would find some grasses and anything else I could find and boil them in the pond water. It tasted just awful, but it delayed the hunger pains for a while.

Once before preparing our so-called meals I checked Yuki's leg injury. Her bandage had been taken off a while ago. She was asleep, but her pant leg was rolled up enough so that I saw it clearly. It wasn't looking good. I wondered if I should get any help. Maybe I'd talk to a doctor about it tomorrow. If he wanted yen, I could probably afford to spend my mother's bank money.

Setsuko was sitting in the back of the shelter, drawing in the dirt with her finger. She had gotten even sicker than before. I could hear her faintly talking to herself as I poured boiled grass into each bowl. She stopped drawing to itch her back, which was covered in rashes. Then I looked back at Yuki. How could I look after both of them? What could I do?

"Okay, Setsuko. Dinner's ready." I told my sister.

"I don't want that stuff..." Setsuko weakly replied.

"I'm really sorry you don't like it Setsuko. I don't either. But we can't be picky with our food. Who knows how long it will be 'til I can get something good to eat."

"But... Nii-chan... I have... I've been having diarrhea..."

Diarrhea? I immediately turned around to look at my sister. She continued to itch at her rash. Then she abruptly stopped and slowly leaned to the right. Suddenly she fell on her side with a thud. I gasped at what I saw. I immediately set down the bowl and crouched down beside her, trying to get a response.

"Setsuko! Setsuko, what's wrong?" I shook her gently. When she didn't respond, I shook her slightly harder.

"Wh... What's going on?" Yuki had woken up from her sleep. "Oh! Setsuko!"

I explained to her what had happened. Then I picked up Setsuko so I could get her to a doctor. Yuki insisted she should come too but I told her to stay where she was. She would only slow me down, although I didn't tell her that. I would get Yuki's leg checked later. Not long after I got to the doctor, who gave Setsuko an examination. Of course, the results were bad.

"She's weakening from malnutrition," The doctor told me. "Which is the reason for the lesions and diarrhea. Next patient!"

"Wait!" I interrupted. "That's it? Can't you give her medicine? Or some kind of shot?"

"Don't wanna shot..." Setsuko said weakly from her bed.

The doctor looked at my sister and back to me. "Listen, boy. This child needs food, not medicine."

"Food?" I asked. "Like what?"

"Like... White meat of fish or egg yolk. Apples too. Anything that's high in calories."

"Well?" I shouted. "Where can I GET that?" When the doctor didn't reply, I grabbed him by his shirt collar. "YOU'RE A DOCTOR, TELL ME! WHERE CAN I GET FOOD LIKE THAT? TELL ME! _**TELL ME!**_" In my anger I shook him but he shoved me away. I began to tear up. Things were getting more desperate than I ever thought they could. I decided I'd try harder than ever before to get food.

That night I left the shelter and headed to the farmer's field. I had made a new strategy. I would take food from the area farthest from the farmhouse and fill my bag. Then I would go home, empty the bag, and come back for another load, and so on. The next day I would use Mother's bank money to buy what I could.

I arrived at the field and began to fill my bag. Once I was done, I brought the first bagful home and came back for a second. But before I could even take one more thing a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed the back of my coat. I tried to flee from the farmer but he eventually caught up to me. After I received a beating from him, he dragged me off to the police.

Upon arrival at the police station we were both questioned on the situation. During my questioning I looked in the mirror that was behind the officer. I saw that my face looked as bad as it hurt, covered in bruises. Then I looked back at the officer as he continued to question me. Then he moved onto the farmer.

"Based on what you've both told me, the nature of the crime is quite clear." The officer told us. Then he turned to the farmer. "Thank-you for the information, sir. I can take care of this. You may go now."

"But officer...!" The farmer protested.

"You've knocked this poor kid around enough. I'm even tempted to call it..." The officer put a hand on his sword. "_**Assault**_!"

The farmer slowly backed away. "I... er... Thank-you officer!" With those words he turned around and ran out of the building. The officer turned around and sat down.

"They've hit Fukui tonight..." Then he turned to me. "Would you like a glass of water?"

After having a drink I headed home. My bruises hurt but I didn't pay too much attention. I was angry at myself. Every time I tried to do something it never seemed to work out as planned. Things just seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Sure, I did manage to get a bagful of food, but how long would it last?

I remembered Yuki had even skipped a couple of her meals so there would be more for Setsuko to eat. I now fully realized that I had to do something and fast. Sacrifices might also have to be made. As I continued home, the fireflies glowed as brightly as they had a few nights ago. In contrast, my spirits were nearly as low and dark as they could get.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13: YUKI**

As I lay on my back, I looked over at the sleeping Setsuko. I was very worried for her. She needed food and she needed it fast. When I looked by the entrance to the shelter, I saw a small pile of tomatoes. Seita must have brought them and gone back for more. But he was taking a long time getting back. I decided that when he came back, I would convince him to use his mother's bank money, or _**something**_.

I heard the sound of footsteps. I looked on my other side to see Seita's figure walk into the shelter. He kneeled down beside Setsuko.

"Ah, you're back!" I exclaimed. Then I saw the bruises. "Oh! What happened to your face?" When he didn't answer I asked, "Did... Where you caught stealing?" Seita nodded sadly.

"Yuki... Nii-chan..." Setsuko sleepily mumbled. Her eyes opened and she yawned. She looked up at her brother and gasped. "Oh, Nii-chan! What's wrong with your face? What happened?"

"Oh... It's nothing..." Seita said. His voice began to quiver. "I just... I just got stung by a striped mosquito..."

Seita clutched his knees and hung his head. Then I heard him quietly crying. Then it turned into sobbing. Tears dropped to the ground. I crawled over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't seem to notice.

"Does it hurt, Nii-chan...?" Setsuko now sat up and tried to comfort her big brother. "You should go to a doctor. Then you can get some medicine and feel better. I can take you."

"Don't talk like Mother...!"

Another burst of tears came. Setsuko, despite her weakness, slowly stood up and hugged Seita. I felt very inspired by this moment. This little girl was only four years old. She had been through so much in her short life. Yet, in spite of all this, she was willing to help her big brother through thick and thin.

I put my arms around both siblings. Even though both of them had to grow up fast, not unlike myself, they still needed a mother figure to hold them. Even though Seita was my age, I felt like I was responsible for being that mother figure. As we all held each other that night, I began to sing my mother's song.

Once Seita had calmed down, I told him to come outside with me for a minute. When we got outside, I gave him my advice. I told him that it would be a good idea if we both tried to get jobs. It wouldn't matter what kind of jobs they were, as long as we could get food, or even shelter or money in exchange. Seita thought that it was a good idea and that he was an idiot for not thinking of something like that. Then we went back inside the shelter and went to sleep.

The next morning Seita took my advice. He left early in the morning in hopes of finding a job. Meanwhile, I practised standing up and walking with my injured leg. The wound still looked horrible and it was very painful but I managed. After a little while I could limp around, which was good enough for me.

I still worried about the wound though. It was obviously infected. What could I do? I didn't know anything about medical studies. Maybe I could try maggot treatment, like my father had once told me. I knew that once Seita got home, I would tell him about it and then we could see a doctor. If he had found a job, maybe the person had some sort of tonic he could give us.

That's when I looked at Setsuko again. Then I thought that it didn't matter so much what happened to me. Setsuko should come first. She should be top priority and her needs should be looked at before mine. Then I decided it didn't matter if my leg had to be amputated, I would do anything to help Setsuko get better, even if it was just to play and sing with her. Hopefully Seita was able to get that job and some food.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14: SEITA**

Taking my friend's advice, I had left for town as soon as the sun began to rise. I walked along the back roads and looked at the scenery. The sky was gold in the east, but more blue in other areas. There were a few clouds. Some birds began chirping. My shadow stretched across the road and into the fields. It looked like it was going to be a nice day.

_**And since it looks so nice,**_I thought_**, I should be more optimistic. I'm GOING to get a job. I'm GOING to feed my family. Me, Setsuko, and Yuki. Japan will win the war. Then, Father will come home, and he'll be able to help us start a new life. He'll surely take Yuki in too. Then, we'll be a complete family. We'll build a nice house... We'll be able to go to sleep comfortably... We'll never be hungry again...**_

I smiled at these thoughts. I was glad Yuki had come up with this suggestion of getting a job. How come I was so stupid to _**not**_ think of something like that?

"Ha! Getting a job...!" I laughed. "Any idiot can think of that! Well Seita, I guess that means you're the biggest idiot of 'em all!"

Once I got close to the town I stopped laughing. I didn't want anyone to think I was insane. I put on a serious face and got right to work asking around. Standing on a street corner, I shouted out that I was looking for a job and that a decent amount of food for three people was what I needed most. After a while I got tired of shouting so I began asking anyone who looked in need of some labour help, like farmers or whatnot.

So far the day wasn't going so well. Most people who walked by simply ignored me. Others would look at me and scoff, commenting on my filthy appearance. Once in a while someone would laugh at how pathetic I was, especially those who knew I was the son of a Navy man. They found it funny that the son of Yokokawa Kyoshi had stooped so low that he had to _**beg**_ to get a meal. Those who had never been as privileged as my family before the war would rub it in my face.

"So, boy! How does it feel to be scraping for food like the rest of us?" One man asked me. "Guess you lost that silver spoon that was in your mouth when you were born!"

As he walked away laughing, I restrained myself from attacking him. How could he? Sure, my family had been more privileged because of my father's status in the Navy. But that didn't mean I was different from everyone else. We were all suffering. We were all living through this war. That man had no excuse for insulting my family! I took deep breaths and eventually calmed down.

After a while things got a little better. There were one or two people who sympathised with me. Although they told me they couldn't help me, they would wish me luck. Once in a while someone would give me some scraps. I would immediately put them in my bag so I wouldn't eat them. By the time the sun started to sink I had quite a few scraps, which were pieces of bread and a fruit.

I hadn't eaten a full, proper meal for weeks. Even so I was much healthier than my sister. I felt very guilty and angry with myself. For the past month I had been looting houses during air raids. Almost every time I would cram food into my mouth without thinking. I wanted to think that I wouldn't eat and give the food to Setsuko. But when your stomach is aching with hunger, and that piece of food is right there in your hand, it automatically ends up in your mouth. That was how it happened for me, and I couldn't stop myself.

That was not going to happen again. Every time I got a scrap of food that day, it instantly went in the bag. I wouldn't look at it, so I could pretend it wasn't there. It was hard to do, and I would be fighting myself not to reach into the bag. But I knew that one bite of food for me was a bite less for my sister and Yuki. When the urge to eat came nearly too much to bear, I would sit on the bag while I begged. I would try anything that would keep me from eating the scraps.

The sun was beginning to set. I hadn't found a job, but I did have some food to bring home. By the time I arrived at the shelter it was suppertime. When I showed Yuki and Setsuko the scraps of food, they were happy, despite failing my original intention. I began filling bowls of food for them and added the scraps. Yuki frowned when she saw I didn't fill one for myself.

"How come you're not eating? Are you ill?" She asked.

"Oh, no. I ate some of the scraps on the way home." I lied. "You two go ahead. I've had my share of food for today."

Yuki stared at me for a few seconds and sat down to eat with Setsuko. My sister liked the food I had brought today. For a couple moments she looked healthier. Meanwhile I sat at the entrance to the shelter and focussed on the view of the pond. I tried to ignore the fact that two people were eating food right in front of me when I was so hungry. I tried to completely shut it out of my mind.

After she had finished eating, Yuki told me about her concern for her leg. I believed it was a good idea to see a doctor about it. Since she couldn't walk as well as she used to I helped her on the way. Once we got there the doctor apologized that he didn't have any antibiotics. When I asked him what could be done he suggested maggot treatment.

Maggot treatment is a good way to treat infections if nothing else is available. They will only eat dead skin. Yuki and I were instructed to expose the wound to flies, and then cover it. If we were successful, maggots would develop inside. Once they had eaten all the dead skin, we would have to clean out all the maggots using sterile water or fresh urine. Then we would bandage up the wound and let it heal normally.

We thanked the doctor for his instructions and went home. Immediately we tried following them, having Yuki sleep outside. It was a real pain in the butt for her to be out of the mosquito net, but she put up with it. A day or so later, maggots appeared. We continued to follow the doctor's instructions and let the larva do their work. A few more days passed. Things seemed to be going well.

Soon the maggots had finished eating the dead skin on Yuki's leg. It was now time to remove them. Since we didn't have any sterile water, we would have to use urine. I went to the bathroom in a bucket and poured the urine onto the wound. As I would imagined it hurt Yuki a little, and she seemed freaked out because a) Someone else's urine is being poured on her and b) There **are** a bunch of crawling larva inside her leg! Well, she continued to put on a brave face and put up with it. After the maggots were removed Yuki dressed her wound. Hopefully her leg was onto a full recovery.

Setsuko, meanwhile, watched us from inside the shelter. My sister also seemed healthier than before. She had eaten much more food in the past few days. She was even able to walk around outside and talk to Yuki for a bit. If I could get a job, things were sure to go well until my father came home.

By contrast, I myself felt a little weaker as time went by. Because I had given my food to Setsuko, I had eaten nothing for days. I decided that I would eat something tomorrow to keep up my strength. Yuki was back to walking again by now and insisted on coming with me for job hunting. I was a little concerned for her health, but was overall glad. With her help, more work could be done. I went to sleep with high spirits that night, despite my hunger pains.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15: YUKI**

By dawn's light all three of us were wide awake and walking towards town. Since neither Seita nor I would be home to watch Setsuko we decided to bring her with us. She was looking so much better and was wanting so much to go out that we couldn't say no. We went to a different area of Nishinomiya this time, hoping there would be a good crowd there.

My leg felt a bit better now that the infection was taken out. But it still hurt and I walked with a limp. I didn't know if I could run anymore, but I didn't want to risk hurting it again by trying. My attitude was the same as before; put up with it with a brave face. I was thankful I still had my leg. Had the plane bullet made a direct hit, or if the infection got worse it could have been taken off.

Anyways, our small group found some crossroads that had a decent amount of people passing through. Seita began to call out to people and ask for job offers. For an hour or so there was no success, but there were a few people who gave a few scraps to us. All three of us shared the food, but gave the bulk of it to Setsuko. The 4-year-old still looked very thin, but her strength seemed to be coming back.

The sun was now at its highest point. A man noticed us and began to inquire Seita for a job at heavy lifting. After inspecting him, the man decided Seita wouldn't be strong enough due to his undernourishment and walked away. A woman who saw the event came up to my friend and gave him a piece of bread. We bowed and thanked her as she left. I let Seita and Setsuko share the bread this time.

"Yuki, I think our luck is changing." Seita told me. "How be you and Setsuko cover that street? I'll be on this street if you need me."

With that, Seita went down one road that met at the crossroads. Setsuko and I went down the other. Once finding a decent spot, I followed my friend's lead and began calling out. While I was doing this Setsuko sat down and drew in the dirt with a stick. A few times I had to tell the little girl to move so no one could step on her.

Every once in a while someone would give me something to eat. A girl who looked my age seemed to recognize Setsuko and walked toward us. She gave the little one a potato and began to say something when a woman I assumed was her mother came up behind her. The woman shoved her daughter out of the way and took the potato from Setsuko's hands. After slapping her daughter, she yanked her arm and continued down the street, bumping into a man in the process. The man looked over at me and with a smirk on his face, began walking in my direction.

"Excuse me, girl. You looking for a job?" The man asked. He looked to be in his early thirties and was wearing a military-style uniform. From the looks of it he was a soldier on military leave.

"Um... yes sir..." I answered.

"How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen, sir."

"Hmmm..." The man began to circle around me, as if inspecting me. "You're a little young... But then again given the circumstances, age doesn't seem to matter anymore." He then noticed Setsuko. "So, who's the kid, girl?"

"She's my, uh... my sister..."

"She looking for a job too?"

"Oh no, sir!"

"Ha _**ha**_!" The man laughed. "I'm just teasing. What use would some little kid be anyways? Oh well... As for you, girl, I think we've got a job for you! Come with me. Your kid sister can come too." He put an arm on my shoulder and led me down another street that was less crowded. Setsuko held my hand tightly.

"So, sir... What kind of a job are you offering? Would you be able to provide food or shelter in exchange? Not just for me, but for my sister and brother." I decided to include Seita as a brother to keep things simple.

"Well, girl, it's a job in the military."

"The military! But what kind of a job could a girl do there?"

"Oh there are plenty of things!" The man exclaimed. "A girl could be a nurse, a factory worker, a comfo-" The man stopped abruptly. "Well, there's lots of options..."

"Well," I said. "I don't want to be too far from home. Is there a job I can take that's close to here?"

"Oh, I'm sure there is." The man said. "Now I don't know what people around here know about Japan's condition, but..." He leaned closer and spoke to me more quietly. "Things aren't doing so well. Sure, we've had many victories against the Yanks, but that doesn't mean we haven't had our share of defeats. They're beating us badly, girl..."

He trailed off and looked sad for a moment. Then he composed himself and continued. "That's why we need girls like you. The soldiers' hopes are being dashed. We need something to help boost their morale! Lift up their spirits!" He then put his hands on my shoulders and, with a tight grip, said, "We need girls like _**you**_ to help us! Girls like _**you**_ who are willing to serve their soldiers! Their _**Nation**_! Their _**Empire**_!"

The man tightened his grip. I was starting to get really scared. Setsuko hesitantly walked a step backward, her eyes watery. The soldier continued on like a madman. "Will you serve your Nation? Will you prove your loyalty to the Empire of Japan? Your loyalty to Emperor Hirohito?"

As scared as I was, I put a firm look on my face. I rapidly brought up my arm to hit his, making him loosen his grip. I wriggled out of his grasp and stepped backward. "No!" I shouted. "I won't do it!" The man stared at me wildly for a split-second. Then his expression turned angry.

"Yes you will!" He reached out for me, but missed. "You _**will**_ do it whether you want to or not!" As he reached out again I tried to run. My injured leg began to hurt excruciatingly. I fell to the ground. The man grabbed one of my braids and tried to yank me up.

"SETSUKO! RUN!" I yelled. Setsuko was whimpering as tears ran down her cheeks. "GO ON! RUN!" She began to run back to the other street, but she turned around to look back.

"Yuki..." she cried.

"DON'T STOP! JUST RUN!" At my cry, Setsuko, despite her unhealthy state, started running as fast as she could. She disappeared around the corner.

"Damn kid..." The man muttered. He grabbed my arms and tried to lift me up. "Get up!" he growled. I went as limp as I could - an old trick I did as a child to resist my parents. The man then gave me a kick. His foot made contact with my leg wound. I screamed at the top of my lungs. The man managed to lift me up and began dragging me with him down the road, while I continued to struggle. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" he hollered. "YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!"

**00000000000000000000000000000**

**_OH... MY... GOD..._ Well THAT was the scariest thing I've ever written...! What's gonna happen to Yuki? Somebody get her away from that creepy soldier guy! Anybody...! *beat* Oh, and in case you were wondering, that girl who offered the potato to Yuki was Seita and Setsuko's cousin, and that woman was the aunt. Still harsh as always... Well, stay tuned for the next chapter and hope that nothing bad happens to Yuki...**


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16: SEITA**

"Yes, Sir. I'll do anything if you give me food in exchange. I need to feed my-"

"NII-CHAN! NII-CHAN!"

I stopped talking to a man inquiring me to face the direction of the cries. I saw Setsuko's figure frantically trying to make her way through a crowd of people three times taller than her. I asked the man if he'd excuse me and dashed toward the crowd. I plowed through the people until I found my little sister. She was crying almost hysterically, tears pouring from her eyes. She looked absolutely terrified.

"Setsuko, what's wrong? Where's Yuki?"

"There's a bad man trying to hurt her over there...!"

My sister pointed to a small road that branched from the road they had gone down. I immediately lifted her onto my back and plowed through the crowd again, ignoring complaining shouts. I put Setsuko down once I got to the small street. That's when I saw what was going on. A man who looked like a soldier had his arms around Yuki and his hand covering her mouth. He was obviously trying to take her somewhere by force.

I didn't want to think of what this man would try to do to my friend. I was going to make sure that wasn't going to happen. Forgetting my hunger pains I gave out a battle cry and ran as fast as I could towards Yuki's assaulter. I rapidly turned to the side to kick the man's arm. The man gave out a cry and loosened his grip on Yuki. I got in-between the two of them and gave the man as hard a shove as I could. The man staggered backwards. I lunged for him again.

"No one hurts my family!" I yelled as I punched the man in the face. I turned around to see if Yuki and Setsuko were alright. Yuki was leaning against the wall crying, and Setsuko was attempting unsuccessfully to comfort her. Behind them people were coming down the road to see what the commotion was about. They weren't there to help though. They were there to watch.

"Yuki! You and Setsuko should get out of here. Try to get home as fast as you ca-!" My sentence was cut off as the man grabbed my shirt collar. He pulled me towards him and began to punch my face continuously. I had managed to get him away from Yuki due to adrenaline, but in reality there was no way an undernourished kid could beat someone twice their age in a fight. I struggled to fight back but the man knocked me to the ground and started kicking me.

"You should know better than to mess with a respected soldier, boy!" He kicked me harder and I began screaming. "You're just like your friend over there." The man continued. "You're all traitors, you know that! I give you opportunities to serve your Emperor and you refuse! And look! Both your friends have left you to die here! You kids are nothing but scum!" He gave a new name for me every time he kicked me. "Scum! Trash! Vermin! Scoundrel!"

I now barely responded to the kicking and I had stopped screaming. I looked up at the watching crowd. They consisted of mostly boys and men, with only a few women. They were all laughing. How disgusting for them to laugh at a grown man beating a teenage boy for fun. Then I decided to let them laugh. If I was going to die this way, so be it. Then who's going to be laughing? I looked up at the man with determination and said, weakly yet boldly, "_**You're**_ scum..."

The man stood there shocked for a few seconds. Then the shocked expression turned to anger. He screamed and proceeded to punch me again. Some of the people stopped laughing and just stared. Before the man could punch me a fifth time, a hand grabbed the back of his shirt collar and pulled him off me.

"That's_** enough**_!" a voice yelled. I looked up to see a second man pull the first one away. I recognized him as the father of my old friend Shinji. "Look at this boy! See what you have done? He was just trying to protect his family! You could have killed him!"

Shinji's father gripped the first man's arm hard and looked at me. "Are you alright, son?" I nodded and slowly stood up, using the wall for balance. "Is there anything I can do for you? You know, once we get this man to the police, we'll help you and your friend. Okay?"

I stood as straight as I could, perhaps in an attempt to make myself look strong. "Your help isn't needed, sir. We can manage on our own." I turned around and began to walk away. I tried to make myself look unhurt, despite the pain. I didn't want people to pity me any further.

"Young man, please stop!" a female voice called. I turned my head to see an elderly woman coming through the crowd. "You're in such a poor state! And your friend must be feeling just awful! Let me help you!" Before she could say anything else, I was gone.

On the way home I half regretted walking away. The whole reason I had been going to town for the past few days was to get help for Setsuko, Yuki and myself. Once someone finally offered that help, I had refused. Even so, I was wanting to work for that help. I didn't want people to provide for us just because they felt sorry for us. If someone was to take us in, Yuki and I would work for them in return. That was how it should have been when my sister and I were living with our aunt. I had now fully realized my mistake.

When I entered the shelter, I heard crying. I saw Yuki curled up in a corner of the shelter. Setsuko was sitting beside her, trying to comfort her. Kneeling down beside them I touched Yuki's shoulder. She screamed and shoved me away from her. Then she realized who I was. She managed to say she was sorry, then went back into fetal position and continued to cry.

I took out some food from my bag and gave one piece to Setsuko and one to Yuki. Yuki, at first, refused the scraps, and it took a long time to urge her. When I told her I wouldn't eat until she did, she gave in and took the food. I felt so sorry for her. It must have been an awful incident, and she was lucky the man didn't have a chance to get any further with her. I dreaded what would have happened if I hadn't come in time.

That night was relatively dark and quiet. Yuki's crying was the only heard noise for a while, and even then she went to sleep eventually. I sat awake, thinking of how people were. How could they be so cruel? Why did they want to start wars? Why did they want to hurt children, and then laugh at their suffering?

Then I remembered that there were good people too. Like Shinji's father. Like that old lady. And Yuki, who was willing to help Setsuko and I despite her own problems. Remembering all those I knew of who had good hearts despite everything, I smiled. There was still hope for us. Tomorrow, I would try again to find a job. Maybe, if I was lucky, someone would offer to help. Then we could come to a compromise about my share of the work. This way, my previous mistakes would be made up for.

I stood at the street corner the next morning, doing the same as before. I had eaten a good amount before leaving. Therefore I was feeling better, whether I actually was or not. It seemed that my luck really had changed. Though I hadn't got a job offer yet, my bag was already half full of donated food. Nevertheless, I decided to save it in case I couldn't find more in the future.

"Oh! Young man?" I looked up to see the same elderly woman who had sympathised with me the day before. "I'm sorry to bother you, but you _**do**_ remember me from yesterday, no?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Is your friend alright?"

"She's a bit shook up, but overall fine."

"And you're looking for a job, am I right?"

"That is correct, ma'am."

"And what is your name, young man?"

"My name is Yokokawa Seita..."


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17: YUKI**

I sat by the pond that afternoon, drawing my finger though the water. Seita had left a few hours ago to find a job. I had tried begging him to stay. I was so scared something was going to happen while he was away. He knew I meant if that man somehow found this place and came for me. Then he told me that there was no way that could happen, but I was still uncertain.

Then Setsuko came up from behind me and promised her brother that she would protect me. Seita chuckled and I faintly smiled at the comment. He then told me that he had an especially good feeling about today and that things were sure to go well. "Once I get that job," he had said, "I will make sure you and Setsuko are well cared for. Please don't worry. It'll be alright."

But I did worry, and once Seita left, I immediately went back into the shelter. I was worried that that horrible man would pass by the area and see me if I was outside. It took a lot of persuasion from Setsuko to get me to come out. Now I just sat by the pond, remembering how that man had described his "job." I could almost feel him gripping my shoulders. What would have happened had Setsuko not gone for help? He probably would have taken me back to his place for a while, then pass me onto his soldier buddies once he was done with me. I whimpered at the thought.

"Yuki!" a distant voice called. I jumped at the noise and darted for the shelter. The voice continued calling. "Setsuko! Yuki!"

Setsuko, who was napping on the ground opened her eyes and smiled. "Yuki! I can hear Nii-chan...!" She sat up and crawled to the entrance, right as Seita darted in, tripping on his sister. He fell to the ground in front of me. He then sat up and apologized to Setsuko, panting.

"Seita...? What's wrong? What happened?" I crawled over to my corner and huddled there, preparing myself for bad news.

"Nothing's wrong Yuki...!" Seita breathed out. "I got the job...!"

"You... You What...?"

"Didn't you hear me? I got the job!"

"You did? That's great, Nii-chan!" Setsuko ran up to her brother and hugged him. "Will we be able to have more food?"

"What are you talking about? Of course we will! This old lady says we can all stay at her place. She lives on her own and has a few difficulties doing certain chores. She's willing to give us all the food and shelter we need in return for the help! We can leave first thing tomorrow! She's shown me where she lives, so I know how to get there." I stared over Seita's shoulder, my eyes widened. He noticed this and looked concerned. "Umm... Yuki...? Are you alright?"

"I can't leave here... What if... What if that man finds me somehow?" I began shivering. I knew that man hadn't really gone that far with me. What scared me was what _**could**_ have happened. If he were to find me, everything would be a nightmare.

"Yuki..." Seita sighed. He suddenly looked exhausted. As he layed down to rest, he said, "Nothing's going to happen... I bet the police took care of him..." He closed his eyes and settled down, breathing heavily. I didn't know whether to believe Seita, but I didn't want to bother him any longer. I simply hoped he was right.

"That bad man really scared you, didn't he, Yuki...?" I turned toward Setsuko after she said this. She crawled over to her brother's side and layed on her back. "Don't worry, Yuki..." The four-year-old yawned. "If he comes back... I'll beat 'em up for you..." She yawned again. "I bet Nii-chan would help too..." With those words she fell asleep again.

I managed to smile at Setsuko's second vow of protection. She was only little, but even she was willing to protect those she loved. I admired both her and Seita. They weren't my real family, but now they certainly accepted me as one of their own. When defending me, Seita had even said, 'No one hurts my family.' I realized how lucky I was to have them. They certainly would never replace my mother or sisters, but without them I would have been completely alone in the world.

My smile began to fade when my eyes fell on Seita. He appeared to be getting weaker every day. Ever since his fight he seemed to get fatigued more easily. Whenever he smiled and laughed with Setsuko, or reassured me that things would be fine, he tried to look energetic, but one could see he was hiding his exhaustion. Whenever he refused food, he claimed that he had eaten earlier. Because this had now been happening for days, I began to doubt him. He must have been lying so Setsuko and I would have more to eat.

"Seita..." I gently prodded his sleeping figure. "Wake up." Seita moaned and opened his eyes. He gave me a questioning look as I reached for his bag. "Seita, you must be hungry. You should have something to eat. Come on. I'll even help you." I grabbed a few pieces of bread from the bag but Seita put a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't..." He said weakly. "I'll eat later..."

"Oh, no you don't. You've got to eat _**something**_! _**Now**_!"

Seita sighed and looked at me. "Yes, _**Mother**_..." He said sarcastically. I tried to feed him myself but he took the food from my hands and ate it on his own. It was as if he was trying to show me he could take care of himself. I sighed. Sometimes he was just a little too proud to let anyone help him.

Once he was finished eating Seita layed down and closed his eyes. I felt relieved that my friend now had at least some food in his body. Hopefully we could all have enough to eat once we began working for this woman Seita had talked about. Then maybe we could have a better chance of surviving until Seita's father returned home. I sure hoped he'd be willing to take me in too.

As I layed down beside Seita I still had worries about that soldier, but I managed to put them aside for the time being. I knew that Seita was right by saying it was unlikely that he'd find me. He might have even left for the front by now. Trying to keep the more positive thoughts in my head I fell asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18: SEITA**

The next morning, like so many mornings before, we got up at the crack of dawn. It was time for us to leave the shelter and head for the old lady's home. As the sun's light slowly seeped through the trees, Yuki, Setsuko and I packed the little things we had. I wouldn't be able to borrow a wagon from a farmer, but I figured we could carry our belongings if each of us carried our share.

As I cleared out the things from the shelf at the back of the shelter, I noticed the small wooden box that had been placed there. This was the box that contained my mother's ashes. I felt a small pang of sadness as I looked back and forth from the box, to Setsuko's grave for the fireflies, to Setsuko herself, and back to the box. When my little sister had made that grave, I had promised her that I would take her to see Mother's grave. Yet as I had said this, Mother's ashes were sitting in a box a few feet from where we were standing. Mother still needed a resting place, but how was I going to tell Setsuko?

Then I concluded that I was just going to have to tell her eventually. In some ways I felt relieved that Setsuko had never questioned what was in that box. But now I had an idea, although I wasn't going to carry it out until Father came home. I wanted what was left of our family to be together for this. I wrapped the box in its white cloth and put it in my bag.

After about ten minutes we had our things ready. Our belongings had been put in crudely made bags that had been fashioned by stolen clothing that couldn't be traded. Then we sat down to eat. I insisted that I would eat later so the others would have more, but Yuki insisted just as strongly that I needed to get more nourishment in my body, especially since we would be provided with more food later. This provoked another sarcastic "Yes, _**Mother**_" response from me.

Once we had finished eating, it was time to leave the place that had given us shelter for over a month. It would be challenging to be among society after so much isolation. Even so, we were ready to face those challenges, for we knew we could work for someone and get a good amount of food and shelter in return. Until Father returned from the Navy, this temporary "workplace" would be capable of keeping our small family afloat.

I hauled one of our makeshift bags onto my back. Yuki carried a bag that was much lighter than mine - it probably wouldn't be wise to lift heavy things with a hurt leg. Setsuko, of course, carried the smallest and lightest of the bags, happy that she could help the big kids. I took one step forward, and then another, with Yuki and Setsuko beginning to follow. The three of us slowly walked up the small hill and toward the town, leaving the shelter behind. None of us looked back.

As we walked through the town, I felt weak. I was now grateful that Yuki had made me eat something this morning and last night. Even that small amount of food had given me the energy to carry my load, in which our small yet fairly heavy stove was included. I looked behind me to see Setsuko and Yuki following me with their bags. Both of them seemed fine for now. Although Yuki walked with an obvious limp, she had a determined and hopeful look on her face.

In some ways, it was really my friend who had made our survival more likely. As I thought about it more, the more I believed it. She was the one who had played with Setsuko and sang her to sleep when I wasn't there. She was the one who suggested getting a job and gave the two of us encouragement. Even when I sarcastically addressed her as "Mother" it seemed as if the title suited her. Though she would never replace our own mother, she tried her best to fill in the gap that had been left behind.

The location of the old woman's house was a good distance away, therefore we would have to take the train. Once on board the train to Kobe we sat down, relaxed and watched as the views of the town flew by. From the window I watched the sun slowly come up and I began to think. The last time I had ridden a train was almost exactly two months ago, on the way to my aunt's home after the mass cremation in which my mother was reduced to ashes. That train ride had been the start of something new. And now, so was this one.

We got off the train at Sumiyoshi station and headed towards the outskirts of Kobe. We passed by many fields and trees along the way. By this time of day the sun was at its highest point. Eventually I recognized the average-sized house surrounded by trees. This was where the kind woman lived. Yuki and Setsuko looked relieved when I told them our destination was in sight.

I looked at the house ahead of me, then the two girls behind me. Out of the three of us I seemed to be the most exhausted. After all, I was carrying the heaviest bundle and for another I hadn't eaten as much food as the others for the past few days. We only had a little ways to go, so I was glad. Once we got there, we could rest for five minutes, maybe have a bite to eat, and then do whatever work the old woman instructed.

The old woman was outside in her small garden when we arrived. When she saw us, she smiled and bowed. "There you are, young man!" She said to me. Then she turned to Yuki. "And is this your friend? Oh dear, are you alright? You must have had such an awful experience the other day. Well you all don't have to wait here. Come on in! I've made a little something for you to eat since you must be hungry by now!"

"Thank-you, ma'am." We all said as we followed her inside. She showed us to a room where a few bowls of rice were sitting on the table. I felt my mouth water at the sight. The woman smiled at the three of us.

"So, young man, you said your name is Seita, right?"

"That is correct, ma'am."

The woman looked at Yuki. "And what is your name, miss?"

"My name is Sasaki Yuki." She replied as she bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too!" The woman exclaimed. Finally she looked down at my sister. "And what about you? What's your name?"

Setsuko looked up at the old woman and smiled. "My name is Setsuko. I'm four years old." She held up four fingers to indicate her age. Then her smile turned into a questioning look. "You've asked us what all _**our**_ names are... But what is _**your**_ name...?"

At this the woman began laughing. "Oh my! Haven't I told you my name yet? Oh please forgive me, children. I wasn't trying to be rude! My name is Tanaka Teruko, by the way, but you can call me Obaa-chan if you like!"

I thought it was a little strange to address a woman we barely knew as "grandmother," but Yuki and Setsuko seemed okay with it. We all sat down to eat. I had to fight back the urge to grab handfuls of rice and cram it into my mouth. There was no need for that now. Even then, I had gotten used to eating little food and saving for later. I only ate a quarter of the amount and asked to be excused.

Obaa-chan looked a little shocked for a split second. "You're not going to have any more, Seita? There's plenty for everyone, you know. You can even have seconds if you like."

"We can?" Setsuko piped up. "Really? Thank-you Obaa-chan! May I have some more now?"

"Setsuko!" I said sternly. "Don't be rude to our host! You haven't even finished your first bowl. Wait until you're done, alright?"

"Okay Nii-chan..." Setsuko continued eating from the first bowl and asked for seconds only when she was finished. Meanwhile, Obaa-chan kept insisting I eat more, but I merely asked what kind of work needed to be done. She explained it was little things around the house and a few errands. Despite my insisting we start right away, she said we could wait until tomorrow and rest in the meantime. I still didn't finish my rice and layed down to rest in the room we would be staying in.

About ten minutes later, Yuki came into the room with a bowl of rice. She sat down beside me and urged me to get up, but I was too exhausted. Eventually she sat me up and tried to feed me herself but I protested. I told her I wasn't a helpless baby. Yuki's response was that I'd better stop acting like one - and a stubborn one at that! After a third sarcastic response about her acting too motherly I let her feed me the rice - _**and**_ I had seconds.


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19: YUKI**

It had been over a month since I had slept in an actual house. Once I had gotten ready for bed, I realized just how much I had missed sleeping on a nice, warm blanket with a second one on top. I was then reminded of my mother and sisters. If this had been my home, Mother would have slept beside me, Hisako on my other side, and Kayoko on hers. Instead, I slept on one end, Seita on the other, and Setsuko in between. The old woman, whom we now called Obaa-chan, slept in the room next to ours.

When I opened my eyes afterwards, I realized it was morning. From where I lay I saw that it was much brighter outside. We must have slept in. Well, it's no surprise, I thought. It's been the first time in a while since we had slept in a comfortable environment. I heard sounds coming from the kitchen and suddenly Obaa-chan appeared in the doorway.

"Oh! You're finally awake." She smiled. "Well, I'm just getting breakfast ready and it will be done in a few minutes. How be you wake your friends up in the meantime?"

I gently nudged Seita but he merely turned away, quietly mumbling. As I gently shook him awake, I called to Obaa-chan, "If you want me to I can help you prepare dinner." I turned back to my friend. "Come on, Seita, wake up!" Seita opened his eyes and looked around in a daze. Then he seemed to remember where he was and proceeded to wake his sister.

During breakfast, Obaa-chan discussed our chores for the day. Seita needed to run some errands back in Nishinomiya since her legs felt stiff from the distance she walked a few days ago. Setsuko and I would help with chores around the home. As I looked across the table I could see that Seita and Setsuko appeared happier. Being able to eat actual meals and sleep on a comfortable blanket definitely did some good for us all.

Once we were finished eating, Seita left to run his errands. Meanwhile, Setsuko and I helped with various chores, such as washing dishes, fixing beds and putting out laundry. We were both happy with how things were going. Throughout the day we laughed and chattered together. All the while Setsuko and I asked Obaa-chan questions.

"Obaa-chan, how can you afford such a nice place? Are you rich or something?"

Obaa-chan began to chuckle. "Ha ha ha... Well, my neighbours consider me to be wealthy, so maybe I am! My son was in the Navy, so my family was lucky enough to have benefits. Of course, if a friend needed anything we were glad to help them. Having privileges just isn't fun sometimes if you don't use them to make others happy."

"So you said your son was in the Navy..." I said. "But what do you mean that he _**was**_ in the Navy...?"

For a moment, Obaa-chan was quiet and looked out the window. Then, turning back to me, she said, "He was killed almost a year ago. His cruiser was sunk by torpedoes... And then my daughter and her children died in the June 5th air raid..."

"Oh, Obaa-chan, I didn't know that!" I exclaimed. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Oh, it's alright Yuki. It's not like I'm the only one who has lost someone in this war. Though I feel sad that my children are gone, each day I give thanks that I have the strength to go on with my life. And then I pray for those who are less fortunate than I am. I may have lost my family, but I still have a roof over my head. Meanwhile, you children must have been through so much, living in that wretched bomb shelter and all!"

"Yeah!" Setsuko jumped in. "It was fun living there at first, but then it wasn't anymore. It was boring, and there were bugs everywhere, and the food was yucky, and I missed Mommy..."

Obaa-chan leaned over and put a hand on Setsuko's shoulder. "Don't worry, little Setsuko! You won't have to go back to that awful place anymore. All three of you can stay here for as long as you like. And there will be plenty of food, and no bugs!" Then she turned to me. "Now let's go see how the laundry is doing. It should be dry by now."

As we walked outside I had another question for Obaa-chan. "Seita's father is in the Navy, and his cruiser is the Maya. Is that the same cruiser your son was on?"

"Oh no, my son was on another cruiser. I don't know what has happened to the Maya, if that is what you're asking." She lifted the pole that the laundry was kept on and slid them off and into the basket. "You know, speaking of clothes we should think about getting you three more things to wear! Well I guess that will be tomorrow's errand."

I now took the time to look around Obaa-chan's backyard. It was a medium-sized grassy area with a couple of trees and a small pond near the back. There was also a small garden, though not much was growing there. A few wildflowers grew here and there, and butterflies fluttered in pairs among them. Setsuko noticed the butterflies and began to chase them, only for them to fly out of her reach.

Once the laundry was taken off the rack and put away the day's chores were done. Seita had come back an hour after noon. Soon it was suppertime, and the meal was just as great as last night's. After finishing we sat out in the backyard, enjoying the view. We even sang a few songs we knew, and Obaa-chan sang songs she had heard in her youth. Overall, we were very cheerful.

When it started getting dark, Obaa-chan suggested that the three of us have a bath. Although she didn't have a bathtub herself, one of the neighbours down the road did. The neighbour, whose name was Suzuki Nobuo, kindly let us in when he heard our story. Like a normal Japanese family, we all bathed together. The bathtub was small and round, but very deep. Each of us scrubbed our bodies with soap, then rinsed with water before getting into the tub.

Setsuko and I both commented on how nice it felt to be in a hot bath once again. Seita kneeled beside the tub, rinsing the soap off his body. Before climbing into the tub, he grabbed a towel. "Hey, Setsuko. Remember that trick I showed you a while back? Would you wanna see it again?"

"Yeah! Yeah, Nii-chan, do it again! That way Yuki can see it too!"

"Hey, wait a second! Who said _**I**_ was going to do it? Wouldn't _**you**_ want to try it for yourself, Setsuko?"

Setsuko's eyes brightened. "Really? I can try it too? Give it to me! I'll show Yuki how to do it! Thank-you, Nii-chan!"

I watched as Setsuko took the towel from her brother. She put it on the water, then joined the corners underneath, making a ball. Then she lowered the cloth ball into the water, but it sunk.

"Nii-chan, it's not working..."

"That's because there wasn't enough air." Seita grabbed another towel and did a similar thing, except he did it partially above the water. This made a little pocket of air in the top part of the cloth ball. He lowered the cloth ball into the water slightly, then let go. The cloth ball, or bubble, came up and popped at the surface. "You see that? That's how you do it. Now try again!"

After Seita climbed into the tub to join us, Setsuko continued practising. While I watched her, I also felt grateful we could enjoy a nice bath like this. We had tried bathing in the pond by the shelters, but that sometimes made us even more filthier. Now we felt truly refreshed and clean. Soon, Setsuko managed to imitate her brother's trick. She smiled with delight at her achievement.

We dried ourselves off and thanked Mr. Suzuki for letting us use his bath. He smiled and said it wasn't a problem. As we walked back to the place we now called home, we admired the sights and sounds. The crickets chirped and the fireflies glowed. The sky was perfectly clear. The bright moon shone on us three smiling children, and it felt as if things couldn't get any happier.


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20: SEITA**

For the next few days, things seemed to be getting better and better. We were living in luxury in comparison to the life we had lived just a short while ago. There was enough food for all of us, especially since we were now back in the rationing system. Whenever I refused food, Yuki would threaten to shove it down my throat. But after the first few days, I got over the worry of there not being enough food for my sister. She was now as lively and cheerful as before.

The way we lived was in complete contrast to how it was at my aunt's place. Here, we all contributed and got food and shelter in return. And Obaa-chan made sure that we were safe and comfortable. She would always ask if there was something we needed, and would help us at an instant. With this life, we could be happy for a long time.

But even with all these nice things, I still had my worries. My first worry was how long we could stay here. Sure, Obaa-chan seemed to enjoy our company, but how long would it last? What if food eventually ran out and more couldn't be found? Then we would have to leave and maybe go back to the old shelter. Then we would be back where we started. This problem would only be solved if Father came home soon.

And speaking of my father, that was my second worry. Back when Setsuko and I had been staying at our aunt's, I had written a letter to him and sent it. Unfortunately I had never gotten a response. It had been a long time since I had heard from him. Whenever it had taken him a while to respond, Mother would assure us that it was because he was busy - he _**was**_ a Navy officer after all. Usually, Father would respond after a while, but it didn't happen this time.

"Seita?" Yuki had come into the room, interrupting my train of thought. "Obaa-chan says that supper is ready. Setsuko is playing outside, so you should go get her. Then wash your hands and come have a bite to eat."

I groaned as I slowly stood up. My worrying had made me unaware I had been laying in an awkward position. I stretched and flexed until I felt better, then walked outside. Setsuko was making a small dirt pile beside the back porch. Her hands were covered in dirt. I chuckled to myself, imagining how Yuki would react if my sister came to the dinner table looking like that. I came to the conclusion that she'd kill me, so I quickly led Setsuko to the small pond out back.

After I had finished eating, I sat on a rock in the backyard holding my father's photograph. I stared at my father's face, and then looked at the setting sun. "Well, Father," I said to the photograph. "It's been a while since you've contacted us. But I want you to know that Setsuko and I are okay. We also have a couple of great friends who are helping, so don't worry about us..."

Trailing off suddenly, I wondered if I was going crazy. After all, I was talking to my father's picture as if he were right in front of me. Then I decided that I wasn't actually crazy and that I was just trying to make myself feel better. I stared at the picture for a few minutes and "told" my father to come home soon. Then I sat on the rock for a while and watched the sun until it sank into the horizon.

I heard footsteps coming from the house. Looking up I saw Yuki walking towards me. Obaa-chan and Setsuko were sitting on the porch in the background. My friend kneeled down in the grass nearby and asked me if I was feeling okay. I was tempted to say that she worried too much and was being too motherly but I stopped myself. Instead, I told her about my worries.

"Well..." Yuki said in response. "In some ways I envy you. You still have a photograph of a family member. And you have your sister too. Other than you guys, I have no one..."

I looked at my friend with sadness and realization. Our situation could have been a lot worse. If Obaa-chan hadn't come to our rescue, we could have very well been dead or dying by now. If Yuki hadn't come across us that night, she would have been completely on her own with no one to turn to. I would still be concerned about my previous worries, but I would now be more grateful for what we had. Besides, we seemed okay here for now.

Putting the negative thoughts out of our heads, Yuki and I walked back towards the house. It was almost time for bed, so we changed into pajamas we had received through trade the day before. Setsuko claimed she wasn't tired and wanted to stay up, but a big yawn betrayed her. She was definitely acting like a normal kid now. Nothing seemed to bother her now, and one would never be able to tell she had been sleeping in the bugs and dirt almost a week ago.

I lay on my blanket and looked around our bedroom. Everything seemed peaceful - and normal. Then I saw the wooden box wrapped in white cloth containing Mother's ashes. They were sitting on a small desk across the room, my father's photograph beside it. I wondered when I would be able to carry out my plan for that small box. That all depended on when Father came home. And that, in turn, depended on how long the war would last.

But how long was it going to be for the war to be over? Our Empire had been fighting with America for four years. And our soldiers had been fighting in China and other countries even longer - fourteen years. In other words, our Nation had been in conflict for as long as I'd been alive! If the Empire of Japan had been fighting wars for such a long time, how many more years would it be until it stopped? Would Father ever be able to come home?


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21: YUKI**

Not long afterwards, something happened that I will never forget for as long as I live. If you ask anyone else who was around on that day, they'll probably tell you the same. It was August 15th 1945. There was much excitement and commotion, for something was going to happen that had never happened before. For the first time ever, the voice of the Emperor was to be heard on the radio. The recording of His speech was scheduled to be broadcast at noon, for the whole of Japan to hear.

On the morning of that day, Obaa-chan, Seita, Setsuko and I ate our breakfast and chattered. We all asked each other what they thought the Emperor was going to say, and we all had the same response - we had no idea. Setsuko was the only one who didn't seem too excited about it. To her, the Emperor was just some guy living in a palace far away - no one important for her to care about. She just happily ate her breakfast and listened to our conversation. To Japan, the world revolved around its Emperor. But to her, the world revolved around her big brother.

Despite the commotion, everything else that morning seemed normal. We still did our usual chores and routines. The sky had a few puffy clouds and the sun shone brightly. The sounds of cicadas in the trees could be heard clearly. People walked along the roads, going about their business. It was a typical hot summer's day.

But soon it was almost noon. Almost time for the radio broadcast. Seita carried his sister on his back, I walked beside him, Obaa-chan following behind. We were among a small group of our neighbours heading to the house where the Nakamura family lived, for they were the closest household who owned a radio. The Nakamura family consisted of a father, mother, and twin boys a little older than Setsuko. They weren't the most generous people around, but since this event was important to everyone they made an exception, so long as it wasn't too crowded.

Five minutes before noon, there were about twenty people standing in the Nakamura household backyard. There were some elderly people, and some mothers with very small children. There were a few men too, some retired soldiers and some farmers. There were even some teenagers that were the same age as Seita and I, but I didn't recognize any of them as schoolmates. About a minute before noon, the father of the family, Nakamura Hitoshi, stood up and asked for us to quiet down.

"All right people." The middle-aged man said. "The reason we're all standing here is quite clear. We're all present so that we may hear the voice of the Emperor on this radio. Now of course, we want to know what He has to say to us commoners, and it is obviously an important message. So I ask that all of you keep quiet and listen to the broadcast."

With those words, Mr. Nakamura turned on the radio. Everyone present in the yard was completely silent as they stood and waited. Seita, Setsuko, Obaa-chan and I all looked at each other and then back at the radio. About a minute later, the broadcast was on. I knew that right now, at this very moment, everyone across Japan was near a radio. They were all silent as they listened to Emperor Hirohito's voice.

The broadcast lasted about ten minutes. It turns out that it was not truly a broadcast, but a recording that was made earlier. This made the quality of the broadcast very poor. It didn't help that the Emperor spoke in an aristocratic dialect the common people could not understand. I couldn't remember what was said if I tried. Regardless of this, however, we were still able to make out what the message was - Japan had surrendered unconditionally.

No one seemed to know what to make of it. There had to be some kind of mistake! But at the end of the broadcast, an announcer confirmed that Japan had, indeed, surrendered. At first, everyone had been silent. Then, one by one, people lowered their heads and began to cry. A woman next to me buried her face in her hands, muffling her sobbing, while a man on my other side was wiping tears from his face.

One of the Nakamura twins looked at the crowd, then at his parents. "Mother," he asked. "What does this mean?"

"Yes, Mother!" The other twin said. "What does it mean?"

"It means... It means the war is over, my sons."

"Huh? Over? You really mean the war is over, Mother?"

"Yes."

"So that means no more bombings! No more B-29s!"

"That's right..."

At this, the two children began to rejoice. "Yay! No more bombings! The war is over!" they shouted. They laughed and began to run around the yard, jumping for joy and cheering. A few more children joined in, including Setsuko. They all chanted happily, rejoicing that the hell they had been through was over. They wouldn't have to worry about bombings again.

I seemed to be the only one who noticed the children. Everyone else remained silent, only breaking that silence by sobbing. Seita was staring ahead, not making a sound. I myself didn't know what to make of it.

"It can't be!" an old woman cried angrily. "Japan can't lose! My sons will have died for nothing!"

"What a coward the Emperor is!" a middle-aged man yelled while waving his fists. "The Empire of Japan never surrenders! How disgraceful!"

"But you heard what was said!" a woman responded. "The enemy has made such a terrible bomb. If we didn't surrender, they'd use it to destroy everything!"

"Oh yeah! Well that's how it should have been! It's better to die than to live in disgrace! Besides, so many people are dead! Surrendering only ensures they've died for nothing!"

"Oh why!" another woman sobbed. "Why must this happen! Why...! Why..."

"So what will happen now?"

"I bet those Goddamned American soldiers will come now!"

I watched the others in their discussion. Then I looked at Seita. He had his head down and he appeared to be mouthing over and over again, "Japan can't lose... Japan can't lose..." A couple tears were coming down his cheeks. Obaa-chan had her hands clasped in prayer and was also crying. Then I realized that tears were coming down my own cheeks. Japan's cities had been destroyed by bombing and battles. So many were dead and injured. And all for nothing.

As we walked home, I tried to think of something good that could come out of this. Other than the fact that there would be no more bombings, I couldn't think of anything. Then I remembered something else, and brought it up with Seita.

"Well, I guess if the war's over..." I started. "Then that means your dad will be able to come home now. And then we won't have to worry about being a burden to Obaa-chan."

Seita looked at me and gave a slight smile. "Yeah... I guess you're right!" His smile became full, and he put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "You hear that, Setsuko? Daddy might be coming home soon! Surely there'll be an announcement to when his cruiser gets back. So when the Maya arrives at this port, we'll be there waiting!"

Seita lifted Setsuko onto his back, both of them smiling. Seeing them so happy despite the painful shock we had experienced today made me smile faintly. And now, we wouldn't have to worry about bombings, or how long the war would last. Seita's father was sure to come home soon, and then, we would all help each other to rebuild what had been lost.

****

**Well, I hope you guys are liking this story. I've been doing a little reasearch on things and I really hope I haven't made any big mistakes. I greatly apologise for any inaccuracies and just letting you all know, I DO NOT intend to offend anyone. I know the subject is a rather touchy one... Oh well, on a lighter note, thank you Killerbee77 for the review. I appreciate it very much :) And last but definately not least, happy reading to everybody! Ciao!**


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22: SEITA**

For the next few days, everyone was filled with mixed emotions. There was joy, anger, sadness, and relief. People were angry and grieving, because a great war we had been fighting was lost. It was humiliating to think that another country could surpass the might of the Japanese Empire. Since birth, we had all been taught that our Nation was the centre of the universe, the one that was chosen to control all the others. The news of the surrender was crushing to many, and some were even driven to suicide.

But among the negative emotions, there were positive ones too. Like the small group of children that cheered at the announcement, many were glad that the hell that had lasted for so long was finally over. Sure, Japan was war-torn and devastated all over, but now that the destruction had stopped, we could now start rebuilding our country. We could now come out of the ashes and start over. Although things could never truly go back to normal, we could at least live as normal lives as possible, without fearing for our lives day after day.

Now how did _**I**_ feel about it? To me, it was a mixture of both. Even though the country I believed was invincible had lost the war, it still meant that those fighting overseas could come home - like my father. For the next few nights I'd hold my father's photograph in my hands and "ask" him when he was coming home, because Setsuko and I were so excited to see him again. I imagined that big cruiser coming to Kobe's port. I fancied Father getting off, and Setsuko and I running towards him. I envisioned us buying a nice house, and that Father, Setsuko, myself, and even Yuki, all lived in it. And I fantasized that we were all happy.

But one day, about a week after the surrender, those hopes and fantasies would come crashing down. A typhoon was on its way, so I was sent to get some more food and supplies in case it lasted for more than a few days. The sky looked almost normal, except that in the distant south, dark clouds were gathering. The wind was gentle, but little by little it got stronger throughout the day. There were many people on the streets doing the same thing I was.

While I was buying some food from a market, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around to see a boy my age, whom I recognized as Inoue Takeshi. Takeshi was not only a classmate of mine before the school was bombed, but he had also worked with me at the steelworks. Since it had been a while since we'd seen each other, he and the others had assumed I was dead.

"Oh, no I'm not dead!" I laughed. "My sister and I were just away for a while. So how's everyone else? What about Shinji? Next time you see him- " I stopped when I realized Takeshi had hung his head. "What... Did something happen?"

"Yeah... Shinji was killed in an air raid a few weeks ago. I'm sorry, Seita. I'd just assumed you knew."

"Oh..." It never occurred to me that my old friend might have died. "Well.. How many others are dead?"

"Well, there's Ryota and Tatsuya. They died in the same raid as Shinji. Toshio and Kenji were killed in ground attacks. And I'm not sure about Daisuke, Yoshie or Masahiro. They went to live with relatives in other towns like you and your sister. We haven't heard from them in weeks. But everyone else is okay, so I'll tell them that you're still alive. It was good to see you again. Good luck in the meantime."

"Yeah! You too!" I said. I watched as Takeshi disappeared in the crowd, thinking about what he said. I just couldn't believe it had never occurred to me that my friends were dead. Normally, one likes to think that one can live forever, the same going for those close to them. Then I remembered when Shinji's father had saved me from getting killed. Maybe the reason he had wanted to help me was because he couldn't stand seeing another boy like his son killed.

By now, my errands were finished, so I began to head for home. While walking down the street, I saw a small group of soldiers talking amongst themselves. I brightened up slightly. Maybe one of them would know when my father's cruiser was coming to port. After hearing all this sad news from Takeshi, maybe having something to look forward to would cheer me up a little. I walked toward the group of soldiers.

"Um... Excuse me sirs." I said to them, clearing my throat. "My name is Yokokawa Seita, and I'm the first son of Yokokawa Kyoshi, an officer in the Navy. And now that the war is over, I guess the ships will be going back to port. So I'm just wondering if any of you know when the cruiser Maya will be docking at Kobe's port. Can any of you tell me?"

The soldiers all looked at each other and cracked smiles. Then they looked back at me. "Are you serious, kid?" One of them asked. "Now let me get this straight; You want to know when the cruiser Maya is coming to port. Have I got that right, boy? I didn't hear wrong or anything like that?"

"Yes sir." I said firmly. "Now answer my question! When is the Maya coming to port?"

The soldiers burst out laughing. "Is this kid serious, guys?" They said among themselves. "He doesn't even know?" They continued laughing. Then the first soldier turned back to me. "Look, boy. The Imperial fleet have all been sunk! Sent to the bottom of the sea! You know what that means, kid! It means the Maya _**probably**_ isn't coming to port and that your father is _**probably**_ dead!"

The soldiers continued laughing. I just stood there in shock. My mind was almost completely blank. I let it all sink in. He was dead! My father had been dead all this time! And I didn't even know about it until now. A sudden chill went through my body. I felt myself turning around and beginning to run. By now the whole sky was dark. I guess the sky was laughing and mocking me too. By now I was running at full speed through the fields. I began screaming.

"NO! IT _**CAN'T**_ BE TRUE! YOU _**CAN'T**_ BE DEAD, FATHER!" I yelled to the sky. It was getting darker by the minute. I kept running and I kept screaming. "YOU'RE SO STUPID! _**DAMN **_YOU! DAMN YOU, YOU'RE SO _**STUPID**_, FATHER! STUPID! STUPID! _**STUPID!**_"

After a while I came to a halt. I was tired of running. I was tired of screaming. Panting, I dropped the bags I had been carrying and put my hands on my knees. But a few seconds later they buckled under me. Though I couldn't scream anymore, I began sobbing hysterically. For about ten minutes I sobbed and lay there in the dirt. If one had come down the road at that time, they would have seen a rather pathetic sight.

I continued on my way home. The sky was still dark, and the wind was picking up even more. As I walked, I wondered what was going to happen now. I had only been planning that Obaa-chan would take care of us temporarily. What if she couldn't afford to shelter and feed us for much longer? Then I concluded that we would just have to go back to the old shelter by the pond and try again. But I still didn't know exactly how I was going to tell Yuki and Setsuko.


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23: YUKI **

I looked out the door to the backyard. The sky was looking terrible and Seita hadn't come back yet. Since the winds were picking up I decided to close all the doors and windows. Setsuko and Obaa-chan were both taking afternoon naps, so I was the only one up. Once all the doors and windows were shut I went back to cleaning the dishes. I heard the wind starting to whip around, making noise on the roof. I hoped it wouldn't wake Setsuko or Obaa-chan.

Suddenly I heard the front door opening. I looked up to see Seita coming in the door, carrying the supplies. The wind came through the door, blowing things around in the house.

"Hurry up Seita and close that door! I'll help you with your things." I picked up the bags as Seita shut the door. The draft ceased. Then I noticed that Seita was covered in dirt, except trails on his cheeks where tears had fallen. "Oh Seita! Did something happen when you were out?" I set the bags down on the counter and took his arm. "Come on. Let's talk in the living room."

I lead my friend by the arm into the living room and sat him down on a futon mat. I was almost expecting him to say I was acting too motherly but he didn't say anything. Instead he sighed and hung his head. Deciding to give Seita a minute, I went back to the kitchen and prepared a glass of water for him to drink. When I gave it to him, he gulped it down until the glass was empty. Then he sighed again and began to explain what had happened.

"Yuki... I really don't know how to say this, so I guess I'll start from the beginning. I was walking down the street when I saw a group of soldiers standing around. I decided to ask them if they knew anything about when my dad's cruiser was coming to Kobe. They laughed and told me the Imperial Fleet was sunk long ago... So I guess... I guess my father isn't coming back..."

Seita hung his head again. Soon I saw a tear drop to the floor. None of us said a word for a while. Everything was silent except for the howling of the wind outside. So Seita's father was dead after all. So now he and his sister were orphans. So now they didn't have a single caring family member in the world. Feeling sorry for my friend, I hugged him. Normally he would have pushed me off, but this time he didn't seem to care.

Then Seita, with a few tears still on his face, looked up at me and continued to talk. "It seems that for the past while, our fate relied only on Father coming home. But it also seems we've relied on that slight chance too much... What I'm worried about most is... what will happen to us now...? Obaa-chan surely can't afford to look after us for a long period of time. Sure, she says she'll help us for as long as we need it, but there'll come a time when she can't afford to feed all of us. I think we're gonna have to go back to the shelter and start over..."

That was what did it for me. My hopes were now dashed as well. We had gotten so used to this life of comfort. I should have known that things had been too good to be true! I held tighter onto Seita and started to cry along with him. For about five minutes, the roaring of the wind outside, and the crying of two children inside was all that could be heard. Two children crying in a dark room, with a candle being the only thing that shed a decent amount of light.

Then there was the sound of the bedroom door sliding open. Both of us looked up to see Obaa-chan coming into the room. She carried a second candle in her hand and set it down on a table in the corner. Then she sat down across from us and looked at us sympathetically

"I just want you to know that I heard the whole thing, you two. But I decided to let you have your talk and cry before I said anything." Obaa-chan reached her hands out, putting one on my shoulder and the other on Seita's. "Now I know you're upset at the loss of your father, Seita. And I know you're worried about how long you'll be able to stay here, but it will be alright."

Obaa-chan let go of our shoulders and sat back down. "Now both of you look at me. You two have been through enough of this hell already. How could I turn you away? I've already told you that you can stay here for as long as you need, be it months or years. I'm even willing to take you in permanently if that is what fate brings."

"Now, you are right when you say there might be financial problems in the future. The war may be over, but more hard times are still yet to come. There will be times when we won't have as much to eat, but we'll get through. The reason there are families in this world are so that they may support each other, through thick and thin. I truly believe that fate brought Yuki to you and your sister, Seita. And in turn, fate brought the three of you to me. We've all lost our families, but now that we're all together we can form a new one. We'll look after each other in the same way as any other family should."

Obaa-chan patted our shoulders again and smiled. "Besides, having you children here has brought me joy! It'd sure be awful lonely around here if you left!" She chuckled to herself and stood up. "Well, it's getting late. How be you two get up and dry your tears. Then get ready for bed. You must have had an exhausting day, so maybe it will do you good to get some rest a little early."

Seita and I slowly stood up and bowed to her. "Arigatou, Obaa-chan..." I said. "Ookini. You've helped us very much. We could never say thank-you enough!"

"Yes Obaa-chan..." Seita agreed. "If it weren't for you, we'd all be lost."

"Oh, you don't have to thank me!" Obaa-chan laughed. "Hey wait! Have you had any supper yet?" We shook our heads. "Oh my! Well then let's get you something to eat! Wake up little Setsuko too! Let's all have something nice to fill our stomachs!"


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24: SEITA**

I stood at the port at the south of Kobe, holding Setsuko's hand. The wind was blowing against my face and I breathed deeply, taking it all in. Setsuko looked up at me and giggled. She let go of my hand and skipped along the road as if she were playing hopscotch. I smiled as I watched my sister play. Strangely, we were the only two people there - no one else in sight.

Looking out on the view of the sea, I saw the huge cruiser making its way to the port. I called out to Setsuko to come back and meet the ship. She quickly skipped along the edge of the port. She had acted similarly when she saw the big ship Father was on years ago when he had left. Oddly enough, it took a mere couple seconds for the heavy cruiser to dock. It was clearly the Maya - Father's cruiser.

I had to hold back the urge to jump and cheer and whoop like a child would. This was Father's cruiser. How wrong those soldiers had been! The Maya was right there in front of me. That was definite proof that it hadn't been sunk. I couldn't wait to find them and tell them how stupid they were to underestimate my dad! They said he was dead, but no! Any minute the doors would open and Father would appear.

And there he was. Father stood at the entrance of the cruiser, his white uniform reflecting the sun's rays. Then, he slowly and majestically walked down the steps. One would have thought he was a god - but then again, he _**was**_ a god - in my eyes at least. I smiled at Setsuko, and we both giggled together in excitement. Then we both started running toward him. I was running so fast, that I was practically dragging my sister, who was struggling to keep up.

"Father!" I yelled happily. "Over here! It's us! Seita and Setsuko, your children!" Not even the fastest speed possible was fast enough for me. After so many years I could finally see my father again. Father looked at us and cracked a smile, while still maintaining his majestic composure. He made a motion of his head that beckoned us to him. After what seemed like forever to me, we finally met each other.

I flung my arms around my father, ignoring all the formalities that had to be performed upon meeting. Surprisingly, he ignored them too, and held me tightly. "My son..." he said. He let go of me and smiled. "You've done well, my boy. I am very proud of you!" At that moment, Setsuko jumped up in-between us. "Setsuko!" Father laughed. "You've grown so big since I last saw you. You seem to look more like your mother now." My little sister giggled as Father patted her on the head.

"Oh Father..." I said. "I'm so glad you're back! There was a group of soldiers who told me the ships were all sunk and that you were dead. I didn't want to believe them, though. So what will we do now that you're home?"

Father smiled again and patted my shoulder. "My son, I'm glad you believed in me, and we'll show those soldiers how wrong they were! As for what we'll do... Well, we'll get a house twice as nice as our old one. How would you like that?"

"Oh yes, Father! That would be great!" I exclaimed. "But I have something to tell you, Dad... You see, Setsuko and I have made a friend who's lost her family. We've come to love her like family, you see. Her name's Sasaki Yuki, and I think you'd like her. So Dad... Is it alright if she can live with us?"

"Well... why not?" Father smiled. "The more the merrier! If you two like her that much, then I guess I will too."

"Thank-you, Dad! You're the best!" Setsuko and I both said as we hugged him once more.

I woke up smiling, so glad that Father was home and things were okay. And then it hit me like a punch in the stomach. It was all just a dream. The Maya really was sunk, and Father really was dead. My smile faded as the realization sank in. My overwhelming happiness didn't take long to become overwhelming misery. I curled up in my bed and tried to go back to sleep, but with no success. And it was going to seem like forever until dawn's light.

Throughout the night, the wind continued howling outside, shaking the roof. I layed on my back, holding Father's picture in my hands. I was glad Obaa-chan was willing to look after us permanently, but I still had to heal from the loss of my father, especially after that painful dream. I now fully considered Obaa-chan and Yuki as my family, but as for biological family, Setsuko was all I had left. And even though there were four of us sleeping under one roof, I had never felt so alone in my life.

But I couldn't cry. So many tears had flowed from my face today already - it was impossible for any more to come out. I just layed there, looking at my father's photograph, listening to the roaring wind. Then I looked over at my sister, who slept beside me. I gently set down the photo and put my arms around her. But she wriggled out of my arms and said, "Let go of me, Nii-chan... You're hurting me..."

I loosed my grip on my sister and gently took my arms off her. Then I rolled back into my previous position. Again, I looked at the wooden box on the shelf across the room. I was originally going to carry out my plan for Mother's ashes once Father came home. But since Father wasn't coming home, I would have to think of a good time to do it. I picked up the photograph, stood up, and walked over to the shelf. I placed it inside the white cloth, so that it was beside Mother's ashes.

"At least you're both together now..." I whispered. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you, Father. You went to war so you could protect your family. Setsuko is all I have left now, but I going to make sure we'll never go hungry again. So don't you worry, Mom and Dad...We _**will**_ survive..."

I smiled faintly as I said this. Then I gently padded the box and layed back down. I could hear the wind calming down. Maybe now I'd be able to sleep. I curled up a second time on my bed, trying to make myself as comfortable as possible. I took one last look at the wooden box and closed my eyes. This time, I was successful in getting to sleep. In contrast to what I had thought, it took almost no time for dawn's light to shine through that window.


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25: YUKI**

Throughout the night, the typhoon had blown a few parts off the roof. Therefore when morning came, both Seita and I had to go to Nishinomiya to get repairing materials. I didn't really have to go, but Obaa-chan insisted that I take a break from doing house chores and take a nice long walk with Seita. As for Setsuko, however, she had developed a fever over night and wouldn't be able to go anywhere for a little while. Before leaving, Seita promised her that he would bring back a treat for her - perhaps even a can of fruit drops! Setsuko happily waved at us from the front door as we walked down the road.

Looking out the train window, I noticed many people standing in the bombed ruins. They seemed to be clearing all the debris away to make way for new buildings. I was happy that people were helping with the rebuilding process so soon. It was a sure sign that things were looking on the bright side. I pointed it out to Seita and he watched in awe as we passed the various groups. He agreed with me completely.

After a while it was time to get off the train. The streets were bustling with people. Seita and I headed north to where a good quality repair shop was located. When we realized that we'd be passing the old shelter along the way, Seita suggested that we take another route. I nodded in agreement. That part of town was full of many painful memories I'd prefer to avoid. We turned off at the very next road we came up to.

The sun shone brightly, and the sky was beautiful. It was hard to believe that there had been a raging typhoon just the night before. We passed by small groups of children playing games on the streets. I could barely remember the last time I had seen a sight like that. Before the war, I had been one of those children, playing her favourite games with friends. I asked Seita whether he'd done that as a child and he said he did once in a blue moon. He had usually been too busy to play because his father made him work.

Suddenly I heard a child's voice that sounded familiar. I looked down an alley in-between two buildings to see another group of children on the next road. One of them was a girl who looked about six years old. She wore a white shirt and light red pants. She looked exactly like my sister Hisako! I suddenly darted through the alley, Seita calling after me. Could it be? Could my mother and sisters really be alive after all this time? I almost tripped while I briskly limped and I cursed my bad leg. Finally I made it to the other road.

Once I was on the pathway I watched the young girl playing with her friends. A few seconds later I got a glimpse of her face. My heart sank. It was definitely not my little sister. A small flame of hope had been lit a minute ago, only to be extinguished abruptly. Seita came up behind me and asked what had gotten into me.

"I'm sorry, Seita." I said. "I thought she was..."

"Tomiko!" a woman's voice called. "Come in and have dinner."

The girl I had mistaken for Hisako turned her head around. "Oh, Mamma! Five more minutes! I'm winning!"

"Tomiko! Dinner time! _**Now!**_"

"Okay..." The girl said goodbye to her friends and quickly headed inside one of the houses along the road. I stared after her and sighed sadly. Then I looked back at Seita.

"I thought she was my sister..."

"I know... It happened to me too, only it was a dream..."

Seita and I continued on our way. We finally made it to the repair shop. After spending the money on what we needed, we still had quite a bit left. Obaa-chan had told us we could use any leftover money to buy treats if we liked. Luckily there was a shop down the road that sold just that. Seita grabbed the first tin of fruit drops he saw, while I marvelled at the various things to buy. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten a piece of candy. It was so hard to decide what to get! Eventually, I bought a fruit drops tin for myself - and so did Seita!

We laughed and joked among ourselves as we made our way back to the train station. But not too far along the way, we passed a large mansion. It was two storeys high and the residents who lived there looked very wealthy. I felt a chill in my body as I realized that the pond by which we had lived for so long was just on the other side of this house. Seita must have sensed it too, for he suddenly looked a little tense. From inside the mansion, we heard various female voices.

"This place hasn't changed a bit!"

"Oh I know! Doesn't it feel good to be home?"

"And the view of the pond is almost the same! It's too bad they have those ugly shelters over there. It almost ruins the view..."

"Yes, you're right. But other than that, Isn't it just lovely?"

"I suppose so. Oh hey! Why don't we play a record? It's been such a long time since I've heard _**'Hanyu no Yado'**_!"

"Yes! Let's!"

At that moment the sound of the phonograph came from inside the house. The first few piano notes of _**'Hanyu no Yado' **_began to play. Then an opera-like singing voice filled the air. The English title of the song was _**'Home! Sweet Home!' **_and it was a song I had sang in school with classmates. Seita must have recognized it too, for he was humming quietly to the tune. The song was being sung in English on the record, but in my head, I sang it in Japanese...

ENGLISH: 'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam

JAPANESE: Hanyu no yado mo waga yado,

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

Tama no yosooi urayamaji

A charm from the skies Seems to hallow us there,

Nodokanariya haru no sora

Which seek thro' the world, is ne'er met with else where.

Hana wa aruji mushi wa tomo

Home, Home, sweet sweet home.

Oh, waga yado yo

There's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Tanositmo tanomosiya

While I sang the song in my head, I remembered many happy memories I shared with my father, mother and sisters. Images of various festivals we attended appeared in my head. Father teaching me how to swim at the beach. Kayoko and I looking after Baby Hisako. Mother preparing supper while I played with friends in the streets. The whole family sitting down to eat in our home, sweet home.

I smiled sadly as I recalled these memories. I knew that as much as I wanted to, I could never go back to those days. They were all dead, and I had to move on. But even so, I would never forget those happy times, even though I didn't have the photograph to remind me. With those thoughts in my head, I walked beside Seita back to our home, sweet home of today. When we got back, Sestuko was delighted when her brother presented her with the tin of fruit drops.

**Man that was a bittersweet chapter there, wasn't it... Oh well, we're getting closer and closer to the ending! Good job for those who have gotten this far! LOL! _NOTE: I DO NOT OWN the song "Home, Sweet Home!" or its Japanese translation "Hanyu no Yado."_ And once again, Happy reading! Plus, the Holidays are coming up, so I guess I'll be an early bird and wish everyone a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy Kwanzaa!**


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER 26: SEITA**

After a few days, Setsuko recovered from her sickness. Simultaneously I recovered from the shock of losing our father. I hadn't told my sister about it, but she still seemed to know about it. For those next couple nights I looked at the box wrapped in cloth. Since Setsuko seemed to be better now, maybe now would be a good time. I decided to tell her and Yuki in the morning.

"Setsuko." I said to my sister that morning. "There's something important I have to tell you." I sighed and continued. "Do you know how I told you we'd wait for Daddy to come home? Well... I was told that all the Navy ships have been sunk. Daddy's not coming back, Setsuko... Do you understand?"

My sister looked up at me and nodded. "I understand, Nii-chan... But at least he and Mommy are together now... Aren't they?"

"Yes, Setsuko." I replied. "They are together now. Speaking of that, there's something else I have to tell you. Remember that morning before Yuki came? When you were burying the dead fireflies? I told you that Mommy was in a graveyard under a camphor tree... But I lied to you. Mommy's not in a grave - not yet anyway. You hear me, Setsuko?"

"Yes, Nii-chan... But where's Mommy?"

"Come follow me, Setsuko." I took my sister by the hand and led her to our room where the shelf was. I picked up the wooden box and showed it to her. "See this, Setsuko? These are Mother's ashes. But they just sit there on that boring old shelf. Wouldn't it be nice if we can bury them somewhere pretty? That way Mommy will have a nice final resting place, and her soul can be at peace. I found a place that's just perfect for her a while back. Would you want to help me take Mommy there?"

Setsuko smiled faintly and nodded. "I'll help you make a grave for Mommy. Is it really pretty there, Nii-chan?"

"Yes, Setsuko. It's just beautiful there. You'll love it there, and I think Mother will too! And we'll be able to visit her whenever we want." I looked out the window and saw that the sky was sunny and cloudless. "Say! How about we do it now? It's an awfully nice day. How be we go right after lunch time?"

My sister nodded happily at my suggestion. During lunchtime I explained what was going on to Yuki and Obaa-chan. They both agreed that it was a wonderful idea. Yuki asked if I wanted her to come along, but I told her it would be best if it was just me and my sister. Once we were finished lunch, I took the box and hung it from my neck with the cloth, and got another bag filled with snacks and supplies. Then I lifted Setsuko onto my shoulders and away we went.

"Hey, Setsuko! Look at the butterflies!" I exclaimed as we walked down the country lanes. There were butterflies everywhere, fluttering among the flowers in pairs.

"Nii-chan...?"

"Yes, Setsuko?"

"Are there butterflies where we're going?"

"Oh yes. Tons of them!"

"Flowers too?"

"Yep!"

"Nii-chan... Are we there yet?

"Not yet."

"...How about now?"

After the seventh time Setsuko asked that question, I was finally able to say yes. We now stood at the top of a large hill surrounded by forests. Looking to the south, you could see a nice view of the water and watch as boats came in and out of the harbour. In one area at the bottom of the hill, there were trees that would be bursting with cherry blossoms in the spring. Setsuko was clearly delighted when she saw that I was right about the flowers and butterflies. They were dotted all over the place, making the hill look colourful.

For hours we sat in the grass under the shade of a tree, admiring the view. It made me wonder what heaven looked like, and I hoped that it resembled this place. Setsuko soon got tired of sitting still and stood up. A butterfly flew past her and she screamed happily as she chased after it. She got so caught up with chasing butterflies, that I sometimes had to get up and go after her, for she would suddenly disappear behind the hill and out of my sight. It was truly a heaven on Earth because of its peacefulness and tranquillity.

The sun had long passed its highest point and was slowly sinking, making its way to the horizon. Our shadows were getting longer. I felt that it was time. I gently shook Setsuko, who had fallen asleep on my lap a half hour ago. She slowly opened her eyes. Then she looked up at me and smiled. She looked just like a little angel.

"It's time, Setsuko. Let's go and dig the hole right at the very top." I picked up the box and its cloth and walked up the hill. My little sister followed behind, carrying the bag of supplies. Once we were at the top of the hill, I took a small shovel from the bag and started digging. Setsuko jumped up and down and insisted she try too. I gave her the shovel and watched as she carefully dug a neat hole.

While Setsuko was digging I reached into the white cloth and took out our father's picture. I stared at it, wondering what to do with it. It was the last reminder of our family that we had. Yet, it didn't seem fair to bury our mother's remains without her husband's portrait beside it. In our father's case, we didn't have a body to grieve over. Placing the photo with the ashes would be the closest thing to keeping them together. I made my decision what to do.

I stared even longer at the photo, trying to memorize every detail. I studied Father's features, his expression, his uniform - everything. This was the last time I was going to see my father's face, so I wanted to remember as many details as possible. Finally, after a few minutes I opened up the cloth containing the wooden box. I took one last look at the photograph and hesitantly placed it inside the cloth, right next to Mother's ashes. Then I tied up the cloth and gently placed it inside the small hole.

"Okay, Setsuko," I said to my sister. "Anything you want to say to her?"

"Yeah..." Setsuko sat down next to me and looked at the hole. "Do you like it here, Mommy? It's really pretty here, isn't it? Nii-chan really liked this place, so he thought you would too. I'm going to really miss you, Mommy. But I'm glad we could make a grave for you. Sometimes I feel sad when I miss you, But I don't cry as much anymore. And Nii-chan says we can come and visit you anytime, so that's good! I hope you're happy here."

My sister looked back up at me and asked, "How was that?"

"That was great, Setsuko..." I shed a tear when I heard her speak. I decided to say something too. I put my hands together in prayer and said, with my head bowed, "Thank-you, Mother. You've tried your best to look after us. We'll never forget you, and I assure you that we'll be just fine. So don't worry about us. Arigatou... Ookini..."

"Ookini..." Setsuko repeated. We sat there with our heads bowed for a minute. Then we stood up and began to fill in the hole. Once we were done, I reached into our bag and took out a small crayon and a piece of wood. I began to write on it, and then gave it to Setsuko to see what I had written:

_**Mommy's grave. May you be in peace forever.**_

Setsuko looked up at me and smiled. She gave me the piece of wood and I put it on top of the small mound as a marker. Then Setsuko gathered some flowers and placed them in front of the marker. After that, we sat there and watched the sun go down, its light reflecting on the water. Once the sun had sunk into the horizon, fireflies became visible. They seemed to circle around us, as if they were taking part in our little ceremony.

"Yes..." I said my thoughts aloud. "This is definitely the perfect place for Mother to rest. In the fall time, she'll see the beautiful autumn moon at night. In the winter time, she'll see the stars in the clear sky. In the spring, she'll see the pink blossoms fall from those cherry trees. And in the summer, she'll see the glowing of the fireflies..."

I chuckled slightly at my words. I'd never been that good at poetry. But I guess such a beautiful sight like that hilltop can do it to anybody. Taking my little sister by the hand, we both walked down the hill towards home. Once we got back, there was a delicious supper waiting for us. Yuki asked Setsuko and I how everything went. I simply answered, "It was nice..."

_**Man, wasn't that such a nice chapter? Aw...! Well, in case you were wondering, I just HAD to do something about the mother's ashes. Notice that in the titular Grave of the Fireflies scene, Seita says he'll take Setsuko to see her grave, when really her ashes are in a box just a few feet away from them...! (cries) And then after Setsuko dies, Seita leaves the shelter AND his mom's ashes! Why couldn't he have done something about them? Oh well, thanks to fanfiction , I can make it happen...! (sniff)**_


	27. Chapter 27

**Well guys, I really hope you're all liking this. We're almost there! Only two more chapters to go! For those of you who have gotten this far (in other words, ANYONE who's currently reading this [lol]), I consider this my Christmas (or Hannukah, Kwanzaa, etc, ) present to you guys. Now here's a couple of questions for you: What do you think of my story and would you say my OC(s) are believable? Friends and family members aren't always reliable sources... Let me know what you think! Now... on with the story...! **

**CHAPTER 27: YUKI**

That night, I sat on the back porch looking at the view. Seita and Setsuko had already gone to sleep, exhausted from their little trip. I felt proud of them for what they did. Seita's idea for his mother's ashes was just wonderful. And Setsuko was so helpful and caring throughout the whole matter. While many people probably wouldn't care about such things, these two siblings took the time and energy to find a perfect resting place for their mother.

My happiness suddenly turned to sadness as I was reminded of my own family. By now it was certain that they were all dead. And I didn't even have any bodies to grieve over. I had lost my family photograph, my only reminder of them. Then I realized with a shock that I couldn't even remember what my own parents looked like! When I got to bed and closed my eyes, I tried to remember their faces, but I just couldn't.

I found myself in the middle of a small pathway surrounded by trees. But there was something strange about this place. Although the sky was dark, the ground was bathed in a lovely shade of gold, as if the sun was out. Then I noticed something on my hand and looked a it, only to see that it was glowing. In fact, not just my hand but my whole body was giving off a golden light.

I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see Setsuko running around, laughing happily. Seita stood not far away, smiling as he watched his sister play. Both of them were bathed in a golden light just like I was. Seita suddenly noticed me and smiled, then beckoned Setsuko to him. She ran to him and they both walked up to me.

"Hiya, Yuki!" Setsuko exclaimed. Her voice had a slight echo.

"Well, hello Setsuko!" I laughed. I turned to Seita. "Do you know where we are, Seita? Is this a dream we're having?"

"Yes. I think so." Seita replied. He looked down the road surrounded by trees. "I don't know why I feel this, but I think we're supposed to go down that path. Come on!"

Seita reached out a hand to both Setsuko and I and we each took one. He led us down the golden pathway. I looked to both sides of the road to see butterflies fluttering around, all different colours but still with a golden shine. This place was very beautiful, and I could look at a view like this for my whole life.

I must have said my thoughts aloud, because Seita responded to them. "If you think this place is beautiful, Yuki, then you should see what's up ahead!"

"What's up ahead?"

"I know what it is!" Setsuko said.

"Shhh... Don't tell her, Setsuko!" Seita said to his sister. "Let her find out for herself!"

We continued down that beautiful golden path. I wondered what could possibly surpass the beauty of this area. A few minutes later, I found out. The three of us came to a hill where butterflies and flowers covered the area. They were a rainbow of colours on a gold background. The hill was surrounded by trees, and cherry blossoms were in full bloom. This place seemed to take the lovely characteristics of every season and throw them together into this one area.

"Wow..." Seita awed. "This place is even more beautiful than I could ever imagine! Look, Yuki! If this isn't beauty, tell me what is!"

"You're right Seita..." I breathed. "But... Where are we?"

"This is the place where Setsuko and I buried Mother's remains. I thought it looked nice in real life, but now it's just amazing!"

"Yeah!" Setsuko piped up. "It looks really pretty! Don't you think so, Yuki? Nii-chan told me that Mommy would really like this place, and I do too!"

And with that, Setsuko let go of her brother's hand and danced around. Seita led me to the top of the hill where there stood a small marker. We both kneeled by the grave and bowed a few times. Then we went down the hill a small ways and sat underneath a golden tree that had the greenest leaves I had ever seen. We watched with smiling faces as Setsuko played. The butterflies fluttered among the flowers, and fireflies glowed like moving stars in the dark sky.

Wait a minute... _**Fireflies**_? At that moment, the fireflies flew down from the sky and danced along the ground. The golden scenery seemed to darken, as if it wanted the glowing of the fireflies to be more noticeable. Setsuko stopped playing suddenly to watch them. Then she turned her head in one direction, then the other, and then another. It was as if she was hearing something and was trying to find the direction of the noise.

"Yuki..." a voice called. I looked around as well. "Yuki..." the voice called again. I stood up. Who was calling my name?

I realized that the voice calling me was that of a female, and three other voices joined her. These were the voices of a man and two young girls. "Yuki! Nee-chan! Over here, Nene!" they called. I started to cry when I recognized the voices. I called out to them.

"Mother? Father? Kayoko? Hisako? Where are you? Please tell me!"

"We're over here, Yuki..." Father's voice called.

"Where?" I cried. "I can't see you!"

"Watch the fireflies, my child..."

I looked at the fireflies. They seemed to get bigger and brighter by the second. Meanwhile, as I watched them, Seita had lifted his sister onto his back, frantically calling for his mother and father. It seems that they had heard their own family members calling them, and were looking for them like I was. The fireflies then split into two groups, four of them floated towards me, while two of them went to Seita and Setsuko.

The four fireflies in front of me were so bright now, that I put an arm across my face to shield my eyes. Then the brightness faded away to just a small golden glow once more. I felt it was safe now, so I removed my arm from my face and looked up. In front of me stood a woman and a man with two young girls at both sides. I stood there with my mouth open as the woman held her arms out to me.

"Yuki..." She called. I couldn't take it any longer. Tears came down my face. I ran into the woman's arms.

"Mother!" I cried. Mother smiled and put her arms around me.

"Yuki... My child..." Mother cooed. "I am so happy to see you're alright." She pulled out of the embrace and smiled again. "Your father and sisters are happy too!"

I looked over my mother's shoulder to see my father's smile. I let go of my mother and ran to him. "Father! It's really you!" Then I felt someone tapping my shoulders and I turned around to see my sisters. I hugged them as well. "Kayoko! Hisako! It's so good to see you!"

"I'm glad to see you, too!" Kayoko replied. "I'm so happy you're okay!"

"Me too!" Hisako added. "Kayo-Nee-chan and I were really worried about you. But Mommy and Daddy told us you were just fine. Isn't that right, Mommy?"

"That's absolutely right, Hisako." Mother nodded. Then she looked over my shoulder. "I also see that you've made a couple friends, Yuki."

I looked behind me. I could see Seita and Setsuko smiling in the embrace of two people I assumed was their mother and father. Then I turned back to my own mother and began to cry. "But Mother..." I sobbed as I buried my face in her chest. "Why did you all have to leave me? I missed you so much, and I felt so alone!"

Mother embraced me again. "I really wish we could have lived, Yuki. But there are many things in this world we can't control, with fate being one of them. Besides..." She looked at Seita and Setsuko again. "Fate has been good to you as well. You have your two remarkable friends with you. And thanks to that wonderful woman looking after you, you three are in no danger of going hungry again."

"That's right, Yuki." My father added. "And I can assure you that though many tragedies and sadness will be present for years to come, your fate will be good to you, and bring you joy and happiness as well. You will live a long life, my child. When your time comes for you to join us, you will be an old, old woman who will be wise and will have seen many things. And we will all be watching over you until that time comes."

I wiped my tears away and gave more hugs to each of my family members. "Thank-you, everyone..." I smiled. Then I went into the embrace of my mother once more.


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER 28: SEITA**

When the bright light had faded, I had looked up from shielding my sister to see our mother and father standing before us. We had both cried out with joy and ran into their arms. Father was wearing his dark Navy uniform, while Mother was wearing her best kimono - the same one our aunt had traded in exchange for rice. Both of them smiled as they embraced us. Even Father had a soft smile on his face, which had been a rare sight when he was alive.

The four of us all exchanged happy smiles and conversations. Setsuko was overjoyed to be in the arms of our mother after all this time. I felt just as ecstatic as she was. Then Father put a hand on my shoulder and turned slightly serious.

"Seita, my son..." He said. "I want to say I'm sorry that I made you angry. And you had every right to be. I had promised you all that I would come back, but I couldn't even keep that promise..."

"No, Father..." I replied. "You don't have to apologize for anything. You did the best you could. I shouldn't have cursed at you like that. I'm the one who's sorry." With those words we embraced each other again.

"Seita. Setsuko." My mother said. "There is something I want to say too. I'd like to thank you two for making a grave for me. And you are absolutely right, Seita. It _**is**_ the perfect place. With such a lovely view and such tranquillity..."

"So you really like it!" Setsuko asked excitedly.

"Oh, yes Setsuko. I like it very much. And I am so proud of how thoughtful my children are. I'm so sorry that you had to go through so much these past few months. But now I am glad because you are now settled in a nice home with that nice lady. If I could, I would thank her myself for being so kind to the both of you - and your friend over there."

"And also, Seita, one more thing. The day you made the grave for me, both your father and I felt at peace. And when you both spoke to me, I heard every word. Now listen closely, you two. Whenever there comes a time when you want to talk about something, but don't have anyone else, come to this place. Then you may say anything you wish. It might not seem that way, but I will be there, watching you and listening to your every word. Do you understand?"

Setsuko and I both nodded. I wiped away my tears and smiled. "Yes, Mother. I understand. And thank-you for everything. We both felt so lost without you and Father. But now I feel I have the strength to go on, and I have plenty of hopes for the future. And I'm really glad you've decided to visit us one last time... You wouldn't believe how overjoyed I am..."

"I agree with Nii-chan." Setsuko said. "I missed you so much Mommy, but I think we're going to be okay. Obaa-chan says she's going to look after us. And I bet Yuki's happy too. Don't worry, Mommy and Daddy. We'll be alright!"

Father picked up my sister, threw her in the air and caught her in his arms. "I'm sure you will be! You kids are strong, just like your father!" We all laughed together at Father's comment. "Besides..." he added. "You've got that woman helping you." He then put a hand on my shoulder, looked at Yuki and winked at me. "_**And**_ you have a pretty and smart friend to look after you!"

Everyone laughed again - except me. I pretended not to hear that comment. For the next few minutes, we all talked, laughed and cried together. I think I'll just say I was plain happy to be able to talk to my parents one last time, because I can't think of a better word to describe it. After a while, Father looked around and turned back to Setsuko and I.

"Well, it's getting late. It's time your mother and I left..."

At Father's words all embraced each other once more. Once pulling out of the embrace, I noticed that the golden glow around my parents were getting brighter. Then I saw Yuki and her family coming in our direction. They were also glowing brighter. Yuki's family and our parents joined together, glowing even brighter than before. Yuki came to stand beside Setsuko and I, and all three of us stood to take a last look at our families.

Once they were at their brightest, all of our loved ones began to shrink. They got smaller and smaller and changed shape. In no time, they had turned back into fireflies. The fireflies began to circle around us, and we heard the word "goodbye" echo around us. Yuki, Setsuko and I all cried in response, but they were tears of joy and we were all smiling. After circling around us a few more times, they flew up and into the sky.

"Goodbye!" We all yelled. I lifted Setsuko onto my shoulders and she waved wildly with both arms. All three of us waved and said our goodbyes as we watched the fireflies go higher and higher. Eventually, we couldn't see them anymore. Then the three of us all looked at each other and smiled.

"Well..." I told the girls. "Let's go home..."

_**Home...**_

Meanwhile, as we all slept in the comfort of our room, Obaa-chan got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. When heading back to her room, she looked in ours to check on us. It was then she had seen a miraculous sight. The minute we got up the next morning she told us all about it. According to her, she had seen something in our room that was glowing a lovely shade of gold. When she looked closer, she noticed that there was a small group of fireflies hovering over our sleeping bodies. She told us she had counted about six of them.

Obaa-chan continued to tell us that they were the loveliest fireflies she had ever seen. She even swore she could hear them talking. And then she said that the fireflies had circled over our sleeping figures for quite some time. Then they slowly and gracefully flew towards the open doorway. And finally, she said she watched the golden dots until they disappeared into the sky.

And that's when she turned back to the three of us sleeping. And all three of us - Yuki, Setsuko and I - were smiling peacefully...

**THE END**

**0000000**

***cries, wipes tear* Man... that was _soo_ cliche, yet _such_ a nice ending... Or IS it the ending? Maybe not... depending on YOUR opinions. If you want to know what happened in Seita's, Setsuko's and Yuki's lives later on, let me know and I just might put up a sequel! There'll be some things in that story that this one didn't... like new characters, a little bit of humour and quite a bit of romance... Like I said... LET ME KNOW!**

**As for this story, it's the first fanfic i have ever written, and i'm fairly satisfied with the results. I first saw Grave of the Fireflies a year and a half ago, and it changed a lot about me. For example, I now know just how horrible war can be. I am also more interested in history, particulary Japan and WWII. And while writing this fanfiction, i am now more interested in being an author. This movie is my favourite Ghibli film, just ahead of My Neighbour Totoro and Only Yesterday. Even so, i wanted to give it a happier ending, and this fanfiction is the result of that. I really appreciate anyone who gives me reviews, both good or bad. And finally, i hope everybody enjoys the Holiday Season! Bye bye for now!**

**- 321Haruko123**


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